Nyeri Town MP, Ngunjiri Wambugu, has come under fire from a section of area leaders following his remarks that President Uhuru Kenyatta should sack his Deputy, William Ruto, over his “outright defiance and sabotage of his unity bid and war on corruption.”
The MP said this on Sunday night during a television interview, where he divulged the working relationship between the two had deteriorated and if it was upon him, he would sack the DP.
“If it was in my position, I would find a way of telling him (DP) to shape up or ship out,” said the MP, adding that the DP was undermining the war on corruption terming it a political witch hunt as well as the handshake which his boss initiated.
In a rejoinder, the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP) National Chair, Esau Kioni, dismissed his sentiments as mere propaganda meant to mislead wananchi in believing there was a fallout between the president and his deputy.
He noted that his assertions pointed towards portraying the president’s failure in taking action against his Deputy, adding that the MP instead of playing to the gallery should initiate a motion of impeachment against the DP in parliament.
“Let the MP do us a favour by initiating the process of impeaching the Deputy President if he wants him to vacate office,” Kioni said Wednesday during an interview with KNA at his home in Othaya.
Kioni said the onus was on the Nyeri town MP to start the process of removing the DP from office through the legal process provided for in the constitution if he had committed ‘grievous’ crimes warranting his removal.
His sentiments were echoed by a peace lobby group, Amani Kwa Wote national chair, Paul Mwati, who accused him of working in cahoots with other leaders to damage the good working relations between the two.
Mwati indicated that anyone trying to fight the Deputy President or drive a wedge between the two was the enemy of the development agenda of the Jubilee Government.
“No leader can proclaim to be driving the agenda of the President when they are fighting the Deputy President,” Mwati divulged.
The two leaders at the same time faulted politicians in the Central Region for spending most of their time politicking instead of focusing on serving the electorate.
They said the heightened political activities in the region characterized by supremacy battles between the Tanga tanga and Kieleweke factions of the ruling Jubilee Party would only serve to create divisions in the region as well as derail development.
We are urging our leaders to sober up and honour their status in the society and instead play the lead role in defining our destiny as Mt. Kenya Region,” said the lobby chair.
They called on the two rival factions to stop engaging in 2022 succession politics and instead focus on delivering the promises the Jubilee administration gave to Kenyans before the 2017 elections.