- The DP has fallen out with his boss President Uhuru with the latest no-holds-barred attacks likely to escalate.
- The President's allies say Ruto is demeaning the office he holds by attacking his boss.
Image: FILE
Some of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s allies have told DP William Ruto that he has crossed the red line and should quit the government for disrespecting his boss.
Jubilee deputy secretary general Joshua Kutuny asked Ruto to resign if he is dissatisfied with the President's leadership style.
Kutuny, a Ruto critic from his Rift Valley backyard, said while Ruto had crossed the red line long ago, his latest direct attacks on the president on Thursday can not be taken lightly.
“For him now to claim that the president is becoming selfish in every move that he takes, I think he doesn't have any business being associated with the government of today,” Kutuny fired at Ruto.
“I think the best honourable thing for him is even to leave office so that he doesn't be associate with what he calls the mess.”
The DP had yesterday told those in power to operate within the law in a message that appeared tailored for President Uhuru.
Speaking on Thursday at his Karen residence Ruto said where the interests of those in power conflict with the Constitution, it is the desires of the leaders that must be aligned to the law and not vice versa.
“The power donated by Kenyans and exercised by leaders should be in adherence to the rule of law. Some still believe that if their desires conflict with the Constitution, then the Constitution should be changed to fit into their agenda,” Ruto said.
President Uhuru and his handshake partner Raila Odinga are seeking to amend the 2010 Constitution through the Building Bridges Initiative, a process that the High Court has declared unconstitutional, null and void.
However, Ruto has been pulling in different directions criticising the push to amend the supreme law of the land as a selfish move to distribute leadership among the political elites alone.
He called for a robust Legislature, a performing Executive and an independent Judiciary.
However, nominated MP Maina Kamanda termed Ruto's remarks as disrespectful and reckless aimed at casting the country's Head of State in a bad light.
“It is unfortunate that the country's second in command can actually abuse his boss, this is lack of manners and should not be tolerated,” the ex-Starehe MP said.
Kamanda asked the deputy President to stop insulting the president saying such jabs would be interpreted as challenging the authority of the country's commander-in-chief.
“The President has done a lot for this country through the handshake that has brought peace and stability, especially in Nairobi. That is not a leader to be openly disrespected,” he said.
The DP's latest verbal assault on Uhuru is the clearest indication yet that their relationship is irretrievably broken after months of cold war in government.
National Assembly deputy minority leader and Kitutu Chache North MP Jimmy Angwenyi warned that the remarks by the DP were most unfortunate.
“It is sad that a deputy president can talk at his boss in the manner he did. It is clear that he has no respect for the President,” Angwenyi said.
According to the MP, the DP should exhaust available channels to reach out to the president whenever he has an issue instead of engaging in public outbursts.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris