Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has said that the criticism emanating from Deputy President William Ruto regarding the handshake has everything to do with one member of the truce.
The March 2018 truce brought together President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga who were formerly sworn, political enemies.
Speaking on Sunday, the MP said that the inclusion of the Raila has terrified the DP, as he fears that the truce might once again revive him, making him the obstacle he (Ruto) will have to deal with in his 2022 his presidential bid.
He claimed that before, the DP was observing Raila as a destroyed and weakened man, after his 2017 loss to Uhuru, but now appears stronger and a real threat to Ruto should they face off in the main race.
"The handshake is problematic to Ruto because it has revived Raila after his loss in 2017. It has affected the political ambitions of William Ruto. It's only a problem to Ruto," he said on K24's Punchline show on Sunday night.
He rubbished the initial 2013 handshake between Uhuru and Ruto in Nakuru, where the two sealed a deal to approach the elections together, saying that it cannot match 2018 one.
According to Wambugu, the reconciliation only calmed things in Rift Valley region where the Kikuyu-Kalenjin suspicion was high but did not have any benefit for the rest of the nation.
On the other hand, he said, the Raila-Uhuru one has calmed the entire nation.
"The first handshake between Uhuru and Ruto brought peace in Rift Valley and never did anything to Nairobi or the others. In 2017 we still saw violence in areas like Western Kenya," he added.
The leader is a member of the Kieleweke faction of the Jubilee Party, consisting mostly members from the Mt Kenya region who have declared support for the handshake and the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Uhuru and Raila have since made it clear that their union has no political goals for 2022, amid fears among Ruto's allies that it could transform into a political formation to prevent his presidency.