I have heard Deputy President William Ruto’s allies claiming the Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho was fighting the DP to ensure he does not succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022. MP Ndindi Nyoro, who is one of the key players in Team Tangatanga, repeated these claims a few days ago.
I would have expected him to move a step further and produce tangible evidence. But once again, he resorted to politicising the matter. To me, the onslaught on Kibicho is intended to help the DP get public sympathy from vote-rich Mt Kenya region. This is because of the imaginary fear that Uhuru will not support Ruto. After his handshake with ODM leader Raila Odinga, Uhuru took time to explain why he agreed to sign the deal. The country was going in the wrong direction.
This was in an apparent reference to rising political temperature triggered by the disputed 2017 presidential elections. So, we needed to look for a quick solution before the situation got out of control. The President would, however, maintain that the deal had nothing to do with succession politics.
For this reason, Uhuru would rally Ruto allies to support their efforts. ‘Let us focus on fulfilling the promises we made to Kenyans.’ But allies would turn their back on him. They would allege that the drafters of the deal had Ruto in mind, asking Uhuru to ‘come out and tell us whether he has joined forces oppose Ruto’s presidential bid’. Where is the evidence? Do they expect the President to succumb to their blackmail and intimidation? Kenya is a democratic country and our Constitution is very clear.
The ultimate decision on who will succeed Uhuru rests with Kenyans. Therefore, he will not be tied to the 2013 pact. He will be free to support a candidate of his choice.
Political analyst and blogger
