This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
Deputy President William Ruto has taken aim at Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju, criticizing his alleged association with the opposition. The move comes as Tuju has been seen to have reconnected with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga following the handshake deal between Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018.
According to reports, Tuju has also taken a central role in development activities in the larger Nyanza region and is part of a circle of political leaders crafting a strategy for President Kenyatta's succession.
On July 14, 2019, DP Ruto expressed his disapproval of Tuju's alleged ties with the opposition on Twitter, stating,
"So our democracy is so liberal that the SG of the ruling party has become the chief strategist of the opposition!! Maajabu,"
he wrote, referencing a recent trip by Tuju to Rarieda in the company of ODM leaders, including Siaya Senator James Orengo and area Member of Parliament Otiende Amollo.
Tuju had addressed the crowd at Mahaya Training Teachers College, criticizing a section of political leaders allied to DP Ruto for opposing the handshake "which has brought the much-loved peace we enjoy today." He emphasized that President Kenyatta is the symbol of national unity and cannot serve in exclusion of other regions as some people want.
