Deputy President William Ruto's allies are jittery over the lifestyle audit ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta and are pushing for similar scrutiny of the President's family.
The effort to expand the scope of the lifestyle audit, and look back as far as 1963, is seen as a strategy to undermine or scuttle the new anti-graft war, which Ruto's lieutenants have publicly protested is selective and targets the DP's allies.
Ruto lieutenant Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi wants the lifestyle audit ordered by the President to include an inspection of the wealth acquired by Uhuru's father, founding President Jomo Kenyatta.
The statement by the two-term lawmaker is considered a dig at the President, since his family is among the wealthiest in Kenya.
“I saw the the other day that the President said we should do a lifestyle audit. We are supporting the President 100 per cent. Even me Sudi, I should be audited from the time I was a tout till now when I am MP. They should also audit my father when he was a cook at Moi University till now. Everybody should accept that audit,” he said on Saturday.
“Let it [the lifestyle audit] start with Jomo [Uhuru's father] himself, then come right up to you [Uhuru]”.
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Ruto is among the Kenyans who have amassed great wealth within a relatively short period.
It is understood that Ruto has considerable interests in the hotel industry and owns the Weston Hotel, Nairobi. He is also a major shareholder in the Africa Merchant Assurance Company, Amaco, and is said to have recently acquired controlling shares in a local multimedia company.
Ruto also owns the Easton Apartments in Eastlands, flats in Ongata Rongai, a palatial home in Eldoret and tens of acres countrywide.
According to the
Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the President and Deputy President earn monthly gross salaries of Sh1.4million and Sh1.2million, respectively.
Apart from Ruto's allies, a section of ODM lawmakers and civil society activists want Uhuru to fully implement the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Report as part of his anti-graft war
“Now that the President has directed a lifestyle audit for everyone, including himself and Ruto, can he also direct that the TJRC report be implemented fully? Stop selective wars against corruption,” the ODM Senator Ledama ole Kina of Narok told the Star on Sunday.
According to the TJRC report, Jomo Kenyatta's regime was riddled with land grabbing perpetrated by him for his benefit and that of his family members.
The report said between 1964 and 1966, one-sixth of European settlers’ lands that were intended for settlement of landless Africans were cheaply sold to the President, his wife Ngina and his children.
“Kenyatta himself appears to have benefited immensely from irregular allocations of land that should have benefited those who lost land to Arab and British colonisers,” the TJRC report states.
“By 1965, Kenyatta is reported to have been using his position as president to buy numerous settler farms in the White Highlands and also excising and allocating to himself and family government forest land in Kiambu.”
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has thanked Uhuru for accepting a lifestyle audit and dared DP William Ruto to undertake a lifestyle audit in what is likely to renew their political rivalry.
Using an analogy, Raila said there are some prey that cannot be hunted by dogs and urged the President to use a lion.
Speaking in Mombasa yesterday, Raila hit out at an unnamed politician — a clear reference to Ruto whom he accused of roaming the country aimlessly and dishing out big money to become President in 2022.
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Raila said the politician was clearly living beyond his means because his salary is known.
“Wacha kurandaranda hapa na pale, kutangatanga ati wewe utakuwa rais mwaka 2022,” ("Stop roaming around aimlessly that you will be President in 2022).
“How do you know [that you will be President?" It's Kenyans who elect their President. Then you pour money here and there and then say 'we do a lifestyle audit'.”
But yesterday in Kiambu Ruto's allies told off the former PM.
Three governors and more than 10 MPs said Raila, whom they described as “a leader with bad manners”, should stop arrogating to himself the duty to speak for Jubilee.
They spoke at the Pentecostal Church of East Africa and St Benedict's Catholic Church in Thika, Kiambu, attended by DP Ruto. They described Raila as an insincere leader who wanted to wreck Jubilee the way he has ruined opposition parties he has been in.
The lawmakers, who issued a statement, were Governors Ferdinand Waititu (Kiambu), Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi) and Deputy Governor James Nyoro (Kiambu).
Others were Senate Deputy Speaker Kithure Kindiki (Tharaka Nithi), Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu), Githua Wamashukuru (Kabete), Patrick Wainaina (Thika Town), Dindi Nyoro (Kiharu), Wanjiku Kibe (Gatundu North), Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Ng’ang’a King’ara (Ruiru), Mpuri Apuri (EALA), Gathoni Wamuchomba (Woman Rep, Kiambu), Jude Jomo (Kiambu) and Ndia’s George Kariuki.
“I want to tell Raila Odinga not to extend the confusion and wrangles, which have torn NASA into tatters, to Jubilee because we are organised as far as leadership is concerned,” Kindiki said.
The Star has established that there is a cold war between associates of Uhuru and Ruto.
This stems from concerns that the President is no longer committed to backing
Ruto for the top job in 2022, as he had promise.
The unease rocking Jubilee since the March 9 handshake is hushed, as most leaders adopting a-wait-and-see strategy.
On Friday however, Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu declared that Mount Kenya does not owe any political debt to Ruto.
“So let’s understand something. Ruto and the Kalenjin did not support Uhuru Kenyatta for nothing. They did it because Uhuru Kenyatta made certain promises to them and they believed him. Uhuru then delivered on these promises. Kalenjin interests have been taken care of since Uhuru got into office,” Ngunjiri argued.
A week ago, Nandi Senator Samson Serargei alleged that there could be a political witch-hunt in the graft war intended to derail Ruto's journey to State House.
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