This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's handling of Deputy President William Ruto has been described as a 'betrayal of the highest order' by one of Ruto's closest allies.
Mr Kipchumba Murkomen, a former Majority Leader, made the remarks in an interview, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for Kenyatta's actions.
According to Murkomen, the President's treatment of Ruto is an 'extreme provocation' that has left him and his allies feeling humiliated and betrayed.
He claimed that the ouster of Ruto and his allies from their positions had nothing to do with loyalty or the rule of law, but rather a succession war that 'has gone awry'.
Murkomen also accused Kenyatta of using the pandemic to exploit the situation and settle personal political scores.
He described the treatment of Ruto and his allies as 'callous' and an act of people without a conscience.
Murkomen denied that Ruto had become too powerful, saying that power lies in statecraft, which is in the hands of the President.
He also revealed that even junior officials had the audacity to humiliate him, and that the least Kenyatta's detractors would have done was to let Ruto run out his term and refuse to support him at the election.
Murkomen expected more changes in Jubilee, including an attempted impeachment of the DP and removal of his perceived loyalists from parliamentary committees.
He stated that it was not in Ruto's interest nor that of the country to quit, and that the DP would continue discharging his constitutional duties.
Published on May 20, 2020.
