Ruto throws down the gauntlet

For most of the seven years of the Jubilee regime, Deputy President William Ruto has been the poster child for mega corruption. His chief accuser has always been opposition chieftain Raila Odinga.

The list of accusers multiplied when President Uhuru Kenyatta struck a partnership with Mr Odinga early in Jubilee’s second term. One outcome was the pro-Uhuru Kieleweke faction in Jubilee Party joining the Odinga forces in incessantly pointing the finger at Mr Ruto on all manner of graft allegations.

But now, in an ironic twist of fate, it is Dr Ruto revelling in pointing fingers as both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga struggle to deflect accusations that they are covering up for relatives and friends implicated in theft of Covid-19 mitigation funds.

Dr Ruto is, evidently, enjoying the new development. He has upped his Twitter activity to hurl direct brickbats at Mr Odinga on the Covid-19 scandal and, for the first time, is openly directing criticism at the President, a task he previously left to social media and political platform surrogates.

He also abandoned a considerable reticence on media appearances with a candid interview on Citizen TV, where, for the first time, he alluded to the likelihood of dumping the ruling party. He also came out harshly dismissive of the Uhuru-Raila ‘Handshake’ and the constitutional amendment proposals expected under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

Sit through humiliation

It was not too long ago that Dr Ruto seemed down and out. His isolation seemed to have been completed in May and June when President Kenyatta orchestrated a purge of his allies in the National Assembly and Senate Jubilee leadership.

The DP had to sit through the humiliation of watching helplessly as his key loyalists were sent packing, a development that destroyed the myth that he controlled the numbers in Jubilee and could easily embarrass President Kenyatta if push came to shove.

He also observed the betrayal of parliamentarians who in public rallies swear to stand with him through thick and thin but turned tail and fled when the President deployed the big stick.

Since then, President Kenyatta has tightened his hold on the party and in government and moved ruthlessly to shut out the Deputy President from all functions or positions of influence.

Under siege — and also affected by the Covid-19 lockdown, which forced a halt to his Tangatanga faction campaign rallies as well as Mr Odinga’s ‘Nobody Can Stop Reggae’ BBI roadshows — and with estrangement from President Kenyatta complete and obvious, Dr Ruto could have retreated into the shadows.

Political delegations

However, he did not cease rallying the troops. His official residence at Karen remained a magnet for large political delegations from various regions as well as the orchestrated photo-ops designed to show off his #HustlerNation credentials.

When all key political figures, including Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga, gave televised interviews on burning issues of the day, Dr Ruto rebuffed entreaties from key stations. He told friends in private conversations that he preferred to let his actions do the talking.

He also let out that he would reject approaches from media houses he accused of unfair in reporting on him, particularly in regard to corruption investigations driven by Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti, who, in his estimation, had been using pliable journalists to muddy his name.

But the biggest factor was that he didn’t want to publicly face questions that might force him to directly confront his strained relationship with the President or his Plan B in the now-all-too-likely event that Jubilee will not be his 2022 election vehicle.

In finally agreeing to an interview, Dr Ruto — a sharp and wily operator — would have calculated that it would leave no doubt that his partnership with President Kenyatta is damaged beyond repair, and that is looking to life beyond Jubilee. He would also have expected the inevitable backlash from the President’s loyalists, challenging him to quit.

Chances are, Dr Ruto does not intend to go anywhere any time soon.

Unlike previous Vice-Presidents who fell out of favour  — starting with Oginga Odinga at Independence onto Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Dr Josephat Karanja — Dr Ruto knows that he does not serve at the pleasure of the President.

He is not an appointee of President Kenyatta’s but a Deputy President elected in his own right as part of the Jubilee ticket on the ballot paper. The President cannot sack him.

Dr Ruto must have felt confident enough to throw down the gauntlet at President Kenyatta’s feet. He is daring the President to pick it up. Will he?

[email protected] www.gaitho.co.ke @MachariaGaitho