President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses the nation during the 52nd Jamhuri Day celebrations on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at the Nyayo National Stadium. [Photo: Daily Nation]
President Uhuru Kenyatta has said former Prime Minister Raila Odinga sent him together with Deputy President William Ruto packing from the grand coalition government.
Uhuru said Raila mounted pressure on them to resign from their ministerial positions or face sacking after they were named by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the prime suspects in the 2007 post-election violence.
"Raila was behind the fabricated charges at the Hague that made Ruto and I spend time travelling abroad. He insisted we step down from our dockets pending resolution of the cases," the President recounted while addressing Matuu town residents in Machakos County.
Uhuru resigned from his Finance Minister docket in January 2012 but refused to vacate the office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
A defiant Uhuru said he would not step down as deputy premier unless a motion of no confidence was taken to Parliament and MPs approved it.
DP Ruto was sacked by Raila in August 2011 for being a 'rebel' minister.
President Kenyatta said despite the Opposition leader forcing them out of former President Mwai Kibaki-led government, they still came back to beat Raila in the 2013 elections.
He exuded confidence at trouncing the NASA leader again in the next month's polls.
"If we beat them when we were out of government, will they defeat us now when we are in charge?" President Kenyatta posed on Tuesday.
The Head of State asked Machakos residents to rally behind the government saying 'a vote to Jubilee is a vote to change of life'.
President Kenyatta was accompanied by his deputy William Ruto, Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko and a host of MPs from Ukambani region.