Central Kenya MPs have rubbished Deputy President William Ruto’s assassination claims, accusing him of peddling lies to undermine President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Six legislators from Mt Kenya on Monday told off Ruto and challenged him to be honest with Kenyans and explain his intentions in making the sensational claims.
MPs Wambugu Ngunjiri (Nyeri Town), Maoka Maore (Igembe North), Paul Koinange (Kiambaa), Ruth Mwaniki (Kigumo), Gathoni Wamuchomba (Kiambu Woman Representative) and Nduati Ngugi (Gatanga) allege of a plot by Deputy President to cause division in the Cabinet so as to frustrate the realisation of Uhuru’s Big Four agenda.
Ngunjiri said it is a common practice to find Cabinet secretaries meeting with leaders from their regions to discuss how best to fast track development projects.
The leaders wondered why the DP is irked by Central Kenya MPs meeting with the Cabinet secretaries from the region when similar meetings happen at his Weston Hotel with Rift Valley leaders.
“There is a concerted effort to scatter Central Kenya leaders. Somebody has invested heavily to scatter Central Kenya elected leaders. There are people who have been going to Weston Hotel and the DP's Karen residence. So why is it that it becomes an issue when Central leaders meet?” Wamuchomba said.
Yesterday, four Cabinet Secretaries - Peter Munya (Trade), Joe Gicheru (ICT), James Macharia (Transport) and Cicily Kariuki (Health)- were summoned at DCI headquarters over an alleged plot to assassinate Ruto.
Emerging from the meeting with DCI, Munya disclosed that they were informed that Ruto had made a phone call that they were among senior government officials planning to assassinate him.
Speaking at Parliament Buildings, Koinange rubbished the claims as pure lies and told Ruto to stop undermining the President by dragging Cabinet secretaries who should be helping in delivering government’s mandate.
“This is an orchestrated scheme to see that the President does not achieve his Big Four agenda. If someone wants to fight this war, let him bring it to us politicians and not the CSs,” Koinange said. The Kiambaa lawmakers also chairs the National Assembly's Committee on security.
“The DP needs to be very honest. Why didn’t he write a statement himself if he believes something was being plotted?” Wamuchomba said.
The leaders who confessed to having attended the meetings denied discussing any plan to assassinate anyone saying theirs was purely how to improve development in the region.
Ngunjiri said the said meetings are a culmination of Mt Kenya leaders gatherings in Naivasha and Nyeri where the President tasked Munya to coordinate engagements between Central Kenya leaders and CSs from the region.
Edited by Peter Obuya
