- The DP welcomed the reconciliation efforts, saying some of the challenges the country is facing threaten stability and sustainability of national cohesion.
- He protested what he termed the return of political intolerance targeted at his team and which appears to be having the blessings of security enforcers.
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It has emerged that DP William Ruto had in mid-last month written to Catholic bishops, confirming his availability for a clergy-brokered truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In his letter dispatched on September 16, just a day after the conference of the Catholic bishops offered to reconcile him with his boss, Ruto declared that he holds “nothing” against Uhuru.
“I supported him unconditionally and respect his mandate as head of state and government. I have had the privilege and honour of serving as the deputy president for nine years during which much has been attempted and much achieved,” the letter said.
The DP said he respects the President’s decisions to configure his administration as ‘he considers most suited for the best expression of his vision and delivery of government agenda.”
The bishops claimed that Ruto and Uhuru blocked their bid to reconcile them, saying they are yet to respond to their invitation for talks.
Speaking after National Prayer Day at Subukia Shrine on Saturday, the bishops said they are hopeful that the President and his deputy will honour their invitation.
“The invitation still stands. Even today, we prayed for the invitation to become a reality,” Nyeri Archbishop Anthony Muheria said on Saturday.
The clerics had on September 15 offered to intervene and end the war of words between Uhuru and Ruto for the sake of the country’s stability.
They cautioned that the strained relationship between Ruto and Uhuru is a threat to the stability of the country, especially at a time Kenyans are nearing the 2022 general election.
“We are deeply concerned that if this open disagreement between the President and the DP is taken up by their supporters, the trickle-down effect it could generate across the country will be dire to even contemplate,” the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement.
But after the remarks by the bishops, the DP released the letter to the clerics and tweeted, ‘nothing is futher from the truth.”
The DP’s critics have accused him of disrespecting the President and persistently criticising the same government in which he serves.
Ruto, who has accused Uhuru of orchestrating the handshake with Raila Odinga to push for constitutional changes to share power, said political leaders and the presidency have a responsibility to serve Kenyans.
“Having said that, I want you, the most reverend bishops, to know that I am willing, ready and available to participate, without any conditions whatsoever, in any forum that you may find necessary to address these concerns,” the DP said.
Ruto highlighted a couple of concerns he has about the direction the country is taking, saying political leaders must strive to ensure their actions and decisions do not erode humanity or assault human dignity.
“Kenya faces challenges, a number of which threaten the welfare of individuals as well as the sustainability of national cohesion and stability,” he said.
“It is our responsibility to marshall all efforts to solve these problems, and to ensure that government policy honours the freedom, dignity and humanity of Kenyans in word and deed.”
The DP cited the push by the President and Raila to amend the Constitution, state complicity, political intolerance and delays in election-related laws as some of the issues threatening the country’s stability.
While admitting that the presidency – which he said he is part of – should champion national unity and work to better the interests of Kenyans, Ruto said it was sad that the path they chose with Uhuru in 2013 had been derailed.
“It is also for this reason that I appreciate with humility your concerns about the state of my relationship with the President in the context of peace and tranquility in the country,” he said in the letter.
The DP protested what he termed the return of political intolerance targeted at his team and which appears to be having the blessings of security enforcers.
Police, he noted, have not helped as they have turned a blind eye to obvious cases of political intolerance.
“I regret to share observations which indicate that, for a while now, this intolerance has found violent expression,” he said.
“In Naromoru (Nyeri), Kisii, Taita Taveta and Kenol (Murang’a), violent attacks were waged, unrestrained by heavy security presence in a manner suggesting unacceptable complicity.”