This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has made a bold move to assert his authority within the Jubilee Party, withdrawing the security details of two rebel MPs and a governor allied to Deputy President William Ruto.
The move comes days after reports emerged that President Kenyatta is losing his grip on the Mt. Kenya region to his Deputy.
According to sources, the President has ordered the withdrawal of security details for Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, MPs Kimani Ichung'wa (Kikuyu) and Alice Wahome (Kandara).
Ichung'wa confirmed the withdrawal of his security detail, stating that he had not been told the reasons for the move. 'Ask them what they want to do with my family while I am away. They are being told it's orders from above in the PS's office,' he said.
Waititu also confirmed that his security detail had been withdrawn, although no explanation was offered.
The President's move is reportedly aimed at targeting the Mt. Kenya heavyweights who have been openly supporting Deputy President Ruto's 2022 presidential ambitions.
As of April 15, 2019, the President had instructed Cabinet Secretaries to stop attending events and instead focus on registering citizens for the National Integrated Identity Management system (NIIMS), also known as 'Huduma Namba.'
It remains to be seen how the affected leaders will continue to support Deputy President Ruto's ambitions without the privileges they previously enjoyed.
