• He said that the plan was to happen a few days after Uhuru was sworn in.
• Mohamed claimed that Ruto called for their help to neutralize Uhuru claiming he was showing signs of betraying him.
Image: STAR
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has claimed that Deputy President William Ruto offered ODM leader Raila Odinga a plum job if he helped him impeach President Uhuru Kenyatta after the 2017 General Elections.
Speaking during an interview with Nation, Junet said the DP also promised to give Raila's allies half of the senior government positions if the mission was successful.
He said that he was part of the team discussing the impeachment proposals.
“The deal was too enticing to us but we had to weigh it carefully. Why would we settle for the Number Two slot when our party leader was himself more qualified for the top job?” he posed.
According to Junet, the scheme began immediately after the President was re-elected in 2017, but was abruptly slowed down by the Supreme Court's decision to nullify his victory on the grounds that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had not complied with the constitution while presiding over the polls.
His remarks come a day after the Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga denied ever knowing about the impeachment.
But the Suna East MP claimed that Ruto called for their help to neutralize Uhuru, claiming he was showing signs of betraying him.
“The President hosted a Jubilee parliamentary group meeting at State House soon after he was declared the winner. In that meeting, it became clear that the honeymoon with his deputy was over. Uhuru told his party’s rank and file that he would not share power with anyone. The remarks alarmed his deputy as it meant it would not be business as usual,” Mohamed told the Nation.
He further claimed that the DP was uneasy with the way Uhuru outlined the terms of engagement for his final term.
He, however, did not clarify why Raila did not take the offer even after several meetings.
According to the Suna East MP, the impeachment meeting took place in Karen at a home of a Rift Valley businessman who had lost government tenders and was blaming Uhuru's allies.
"Raila was supposed to mobilize at least 100 MPs and if the plot was to be moved to the Parliament, the legislators would have received a bribe of Sh300,000 to Sh500,000 to pass the motion," he said.
Mohamed said the government discovered the plan. “A senior and powerful minister from Nyanza called me with a stern warning. He asked why we wanted to destroy the country... That’s when Raila chose to tell Uhuru the full extent of the plan,” he said.
He said the first meeting was held on January 12, 2018.
But DP Ruto has since dismissed the claims terming them as lies aimed at tainting his reputation.
(Edited by Mercy Asamba)