President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are not working together despite their joint appearances in public events, Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has claimed.
A fortnight ago, Uhuru held talks with DP Ruto at Harambee Annex building, with details of the meeting remaining scanty. The meeting came few days after Uhuru warned that he will not spare even his closest political allies in the fight against corruption.
And Ngunjiri, a confidant of Uhuru, on Monday said the two leaders are speaking from a different script. He insists that more often than not, Ruto have often defied the president's stand on critical issues.
"The President supports the ‘Building Bridges Initiative’ 100%. The DP and his allies are undermining it, 100%. The President is 100% committed to the fight against corruption and public theft. He has also publicly stated he has full faith in the DCI & DPP. The DP and his allies believe the fight against corruption is political. They also believe the DPP & DCI are incompetent, and on a witch-hunt," argues Wambugu.
He adds: "The President has stated publicly that he does not want premature presidential campaigns. The DP and his allies have been running a fully-fledged presidential campaign since immediately after the last election. The President is urging Kenyans to register on NIIMS (Huduma No) to help the government integrate public records. The DP actually refused to participate in the national launch of the process. His allies are fighting it directly and indirectly."
Despite the sharp differences between the two leaders, adds Mr Wambugu, Ruto can change and support the president's initiatives. He accuses the team in Ruto's camp of allegedly undermining the president, adding that those for president will stand with him all the time.
Lately, Ruto has dismissed the ongoing fight against corruption, claiming that it's a choreographed move to thwart his 2022 chances. President Uhuru Kenyatta has on his part insisted that the graft purge is not inspired by political witch-hunt.