That the cracks in the ruling Jubilee party are irredeemable is no longer a secret. With two forces one led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and another by his deputy William Ruto pulling in the opposite directions it’s just a matter of time before everything comes crashing down.
In the latest show of defiance both on the presidential directive on a ban on public gatherings amid the Covid-19 pandemic and party loyalty, Kandara Member of Parliament Alice Wahome has launched a recruitment drive for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
https://twitter.com/UDAKenya/status/1382961445453885440?s=20
UDA rebranded recently from the Party of Development and Reform (PDR) which is currently in a coalition with the governing Jubilee Party.
UDA rivaled Jubilee in recent by-elections and won a Member of County Assembly seat in London ward, Nakuru County.
Read: Mixed Reactions As DP Ruto, Governor Oparanya Hold 9-hour Meeting
The party is associated with the second in command, who has stated twice that it’s the second-best party to use in his 2022 bid to succeed President Kenyatta if worse comes to worst in the ruling party.
In photos shared on UDA social media pages on Friday, the party led by former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama indicated that Wahome, one of the vocal allies of the DP, led the training of recruitment agents in her constituency as part of efforts to popularise the party.
Whereas the agents were properly masked, the meeting goes against a ban on all political and social gatherings announced by President Kenyatta last month as part of the measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Read Also: Ruto-linked UDA Avoids “Direct” Contest With Uhuru’s Jubilee in Juja By-election
Declaring the 30-day ban on March 12, the President ordered security agents to strictly enforce the order as it became clear that politicians greatly contributed to the third wave of the virus that continues to ravage the country.
It’s not clear who sanctioned the meeting.
Wahome is among Tangatanga lawmakers, who have openly shown support for UDA, citing persecution in the ruling Jubilee party.
The legislators have threatened to decamp to UDA ahead of the 2022 polls.
Wahome is on record severally criticizing President Kenyatta over his style of leadership.
Yesterday, while appearing on Citizen TV, Ruto confirmed claims by his lieutenants that he had been sidelined in day to day running of government.
Read Also: Ruto Hints At Vying For Presidency On UDA Ticket
Speaking to the station’s Director of Strategy and Innovation, Linus Kaikai, Ruto said that things went haywire after the 2017 General Elections when people he termed as “cabals” joined the government.
“You cannot with certainty say that you monitor when I talk or not talk to my boss,” Ruto told Kaikai. “Admittedly we have challenges. It is in the public domain that the way we worked up until 2017 is different to the way we work now. It is a choice of style.”
The DP took an issue with Jubilee Vice Chairman David Murathe, using his name to insinuate that he was the architect of chaos in the government and in the Jubilee Party.
Read Also: How I Was Pushed Away From My Place In Government – DP William Ruto
“The style changed and it is the prerogative of the President being the boss…Because of change of style, priorities changed. Big 4 Agenda slowed down. My space was taken up by other people. It became urgent to change the constitution,” said Ruto.
Despite admitting to having been sidelined, Ruto said he would not resign from the government.
“I am not yet there because there are people who believe that they can push me to resign. That’s the whole scheme. I am not going to give them the opportunity to celebrate,” he added.
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