Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa has said Deputy President William Ruto and other Jubilee leaders allied to him will move to another party early next year, on April or May. Speaking during an interview on West FM’s Crossfire, Barasa said they will unveil their next party of choice around that time, and decried the treatment the Deputy President has faced in Jubilee, “We’ll be launching a new party that has in mind the needs of Kenyans. We are democratic people, if we are not wanted in a party, we leave, and we’ll urge Kenyans to join us.”
The rift in Jubilee has played out in the open for months now, and the DP has already been on record saying Jubilee has been taken hostage by what he termed as ‘conmen’ and already indicated he might shift parties. On his part, Barasa said the handshake gave other people access to the high table and a chance to cause havoc, and singled out ODM leader and former Prime Minister Rails Odinga, “Raila has managed to cause unrest in Jubilee.”
The MP said it’s been clear that the Jubilee leadership don’t want DP Ruto around and has already been divorced, citing the Friday incident where Environment CS Keriako Tobiko called the DP ‘a clerk’. The CS was responding to Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen’s comment on his position, and had called him a mere clerk in the Jubilee government.
While touring Narok, CS Tobiko and said even the DP is a clerk of the President and Murkomen should show respect. “You can’t have a Minister speaking against the Deputy President yet the President says nothing about it. It shows the President has given leaders a signal that he doesn’t want Ruto and given them the clearance to continue abusing him,” said Didmus. He pointed out that only elected leaders should hit out at their counterparts and across the board and that Cabinet Secretaries, who were just appointed by the President, don’t have the mandate to do so.
