NAIROBI, Kenya
Allies of Kenya’s Deputy President, William Ruto, have gone personal with President Uhuru Kenyatta and his family with Opposition chief Raila Odinga warning of a “plot” by some politicians to take Kenya to war.
On Tuesday, Raila led top political leaders,
including ANC boss Musalia Mudavadi and Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, in condemning
'drums of war' which they said are being beaten by reckless politicians.
“We have gone to war in 1992, 1997 and 2007 and
nobody should try to take this country to war again because of politics,” Raila
said at a press conference at his Capitol Hill office.
He went on: “We believe that this country
deserves peace and unity now more than ever, war cries and beating drums of war
will not work.”
While Raila did not directly mention Ruto, his
key ally who spoke after him was blunt.
“Deputy President Ruto must stop threatening
people with violence. He should not think he has the monopoly over violence,”
said Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, a Raila confidant.
Emurua Dikir MP Johanna Ng’eno and Kapseret MP
Oscar Sudi launched scathing attacks on the Kenyatta family, including ex-First
Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta, triggering a political storm.
In a telling statement of an all-out war in
Jubilee, Uhuru’s cousin Beth Mugo linked Ruto to the attacks, saying as the
duo’s political captain, he has failed to come out to condemn his lieutenants.
“The fact that their political captain, the
Deputy President, has not come out to condemn his troops is very telling. Does
it mean that the DP supports the public statements by these two leaders?"
Mugo, a nominated Jubilee senator, posed.
Ruto on Monday night condemned attacks by Sudi
and Ng'eno on the first family.
Yesterday, Mugo described Mama Ngina as an
elderly grand lady who is the true mother of the nation.
“She has held herself with a lot of dignity away from politics all her life…for this reason, to associate her name with corruption, dirty and irresponsible succession politics is the highest degree of provocation,” she stated.
Ruto’s men have in recent weeks taken off their
gloves and trained their guns on the President, saying he was the man behind
Ruto’s woes.
“I want to tell Uhuru clearly that this country
does not belong to you or Mama Ngina. This Kenya does not belong to Muhoho
Kenyatta. This country belongs to the over 50 million Kenyans,” Sudi fired on
Monday.
On Sunday, during a live broadcast interview with
Weru TV, Ruto made some remarks that sparked outrage in the ruling party.
When asked by the interviewer what he would do
to get secretary general Raphael Tuju and vice-chairman David Murathe out of
the helm of Jubilee, Ruto retorted: “If it becomes difficult, we shall pray to
God to get them out.”
He went on, “God will just get them out of the
party because they are the biggest threat to the unity of our nation, those
characters [Tuju and Murathe], and to having the politics based on ideology, on
policy and programmes rather than politics that is retrogressive.”
Ng'eno was arrested on Monday and arraigned in
a Nakuru on Tuesday over claims of incitement.
Sources told the Star that Kanu had moved to
expel him from the Independence party in what will now be a political nightmare
for the two-term legislator as he faces the risk of losing his seat.
Junet termed as “dishonest” Ruto's statement
cautioning his allies against attacking the President.
Taking to Twitter on Monday shortly after the
arrest of Ng’eno, Ruto said the use of “unsavoury words against mothers and the
Head of State was a no, no".
“Leaders should exercise restraint and avoid
insults and bad language against other Kenyans. Unsavoury words against mothers
and Head of State is a NO, NO. No amount of anger justifies use of offensive
insulting language,” Ruto said.
A section of members of the National Assembly
Security Committee on Tuesday asked Ruto to own up to his allies and personally
apologise to the President over the attacks.
The committee chaired by Kiambaa MP Paul
Koinange said that while Ruto has condemned the attacks by Sudi and Ng'eno, the
same was not enough as they are “mere mouthpieces.”
"DP Ruto should apologise to the
President, his family and the entire nation in person and not through Twitter,”
Koinange said at a press conference at Parliament Buildings.
Politicians have claimed that Ruto's allies are
getting personal in their attacks on the President and his family threatening
the country's stability.
The verbal assault by the DP's allies comes
just days after they warned Uhuru that it would get “messy and nasty” once they
take off their gloves to defend their captain.
Kalonzo condemned the verbal attacks warning
politicians against letting “raw emotions destroy the very national fabric of
our nation.”
He said the country was in a heated “political
crucible” but cautioned politicians not to take that as an excuse to “exceed
the boundaries of decency in their attempt to score points against perceived
political opponents - real or imagined.”
“I, therefore, urge for restraint and
temperance in our political discourse. Our politics must not be allowed to
degenerate into an abyss of cacophonous barbarism. Let us learn to reason
together as Kenyans,” Kalonzo said.
Mudavadi asked Kenyans to reject utterances
that smirk of ultimatums, insults and possible drumbeats of ethnic violence.
"Politics of hatred and insults is the
last thing Kenyans want. We all know the consequences of irresponsible remarks
from leaders. It is so unfortunate that we are degenerating to levels where
pressing issues like unemployment and poverty are not being addressed,"
Mudavadi said.
Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi
warned that President Kenyatta and his deputy were now devouring themselves
after “betraying the trust of Kenyans for eight years.”
“They have abused state power for eight years.
They are now abusing themselves through their men and women in a
self-annihilation apocalyptic exercise. It is not for the country,” Havi
tweeted.
Ng’eno and Sudi’s attacks appear to be the last
straw that could lead to a messy divorce in Jubilee.
The duo verbally attacked the President and
told him off against what they termed as a scheme to humiliate and isolate the
DP in the management of government affairs.
They claimed that Kenyatta was managing the
country as a personal property without regard to the 47 million Kenyans whom
they said hold the biggest stake.
In a rare move that has sparked public uproar,
Sudi hurled insults at Uhuru and dragged in the head of state's mother, Mama
Ngina, saying the President cannot rule Kenya with an iron fist.
Sudi warned that the DP Ruto's allies were not
pleased with the manner in which the former Eldoret North MP had been made a
“squatter” in the government he tirelessly helped form.
“You have a lot of disrespect to William Ruto,
you have tortured a man who worked day and night to consolidate the country as
he campaigned for you (Uhuru). He (Ruto) is a squatter in his government and it
has now reached a point where you want to vanquish all of us,” Sudi said.
Ng'eno had warned Uhuru against sidelining Ruto
in the management of the affairs of government.
“You must work with the DP, if not, dissolve
the government we go for election. Kenya is not Uhuru Kenyatta's land. Rule
this country under the Constitution and if not resign and go to Gatundu,”
Ng'eno said.
He went on, “Moi finished his term and retired.
Kibaki finished his term and went home. Don't try to take us in circles. This
is our country, from next year start preparing to go home.”
