The political bad blood between allies of Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga has peaked as the lieutenants of Mr Odinga accused their rivals of fuelling the new campaign to besmirch President Uhuru Kenyatta’s development record.
Mr Odinga’s allies, who include ODM chairman John Mbadi, sensationally claimed that Mr Ruto is using proxies to fuel claims that President Uhuru Kenyatta had neglected his central Kenya backyard and is focusing on befriending opposition zones.
Mr Mbadi was, in effect, accusing Mr Ruto in the wake of central Kenya political leaders’ attacks on President Kenyatta as well as the launch of Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri’s “Washenzi movement”.
Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen, when contacted on Mr Mbadi’s claims, retorted: “That is what the President calls ‘ushenzi’ (foolishness).” National Assembly Majority Leader Duale dubbed the claims “fake news”.
DP Ruto’s spokesperson David Mugonyi questioned why the ODM brigade is preoccupied with issues affecting Jubilee.
“The Deputy President has pronounced himself on the matter of development in the country. The Deputy President always speaks his mind; he doesn’t need anyone to speak for him. It is in [the] public domain [that] those who made contrary remarks are elected leaders who are known.
“But there are a few who want to twist this matter for cheap political gain. The Deputy President respects and is loyal to his boss, the President. Any other view from political brokers is false, malicious and spurious and should be treated with contempt,” he said.
Mr Mbadi claimed that Mr Ruto is “spending a lot of time and resources on some leaders to do things that are crazy … For us, we are members of ODM and not Jubilee, so we have no stake in Jubilee to push him out. Our agenda is to promote the peaceful initiatives between the President and our leader Raila Odinga.”
“His (Ngunjiri’s) anger, when you see him talk, is not because there is no development in his Bahati Constituency, but because the President has refused to endorse Ruto. Endorsing Ruto, to him, is like creating development. It looks ridiculous,” Mr Mbadi said.
He offered little proof in his claims as the President has in fact, in the past, maintained he will honour the Jubilee pact.