The war of words between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Depty President William Ruto surfaced yet again on Friday, 18 October 2019 after DP Ruto gave a bitter response to President Kenyatta;s legacy project, leaving no doubt that the two are reading from different scripts.
At the center of what is turning out to be a bruising battle that is threatening to tear Jubilee apart, driving a wedge between the President and his deputy is a deal between the President and Raila Odinga that birthed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Taking to the social media, DP Ruto declared that BBI will have to undergo another round of validation by Kenyans a day after his boss angrily spoke against its critics.
“As a democratic society the proposals by BBI will be subjected to an open national conversation where every voice (the weak/strong, the small/big) will be heard,” tweeted DP Ruto.
The angry response came just two days after the president took an apparent swipe at his deputy, who has gone on record in opposing constitutional reforms under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
“Those working hard to create new fault lines, and us versus them ‘clash’ will fail so miserably they will be shocked!” he added.
The remarks were seen by many as a response to President Kenyatta’s bold speech in which he answered DP Ruto and other critics of the handshake who have been alleging that the initiative is a selfish scheme to create positions for a few individuals.
The president maintained that the criticism is “petty” and inconsequential, maintaining that BBI was not meant to extend his stay in office – promising that he would leave politics once his term expires in 2022.
Uhuru opens up on blackmail as DP Ruto leads in opposing deal
He also declared that he will not be blackmailed to back down on his rapprochement with the former premier and promoting national cohesion.
Leading in criticizing the handshake that birthed the BBI is DP Ruto who has taken every available opportunity to attack the peace pact and former Prime Minister who he accuses of causing chaos in Jubilee.
The President and his deputy have been reading from different scripts with rival political outfits formed by each with.
While team embrace supports the handshake deal, the Inua mama initiative allied to DP Ruto are vocal critics of the pact and have been touring the country drumming up support for DP Ruto’s 2022 candidature.
