Chama Cha Mashinani party leader and former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto has dismissed claims that he is out for a Cabinet job in the Jubilee administration, terming the claims groundless.

Speaking for the first time after a long period of silence, Mr Ruto maintained that he was still the Chama cha Mashinani Party leader, and that he would still champion for devolution to succeed even if outside the government.

“My ideas and principles have not changed because I support Jubilee. I am still in CCM and support development at the grassroots,” he said.

“Free secondary education, support for the elderly and devolution, which are in the Jubilee manifesto, are similar to what I was pushing for in CCM. I will support Jubilee to ensure the leadership delivers,” he added.

Mr Ruto who spoke to the press at Kapreres on Monday maintained that his CCM Party has elected leaders through which his party would champion for devolution at grass root level without necessarily having to bag a cabinet slot.

Rutto said he agreed to bury his differences with the President and the DP for the sake of peace and unity and slammed Nasa leader Raila Odinga for the ongoing political stalemate.

“I supported UhuRuto in the run-up to the presidential repeat election because I know as leaders of this great nation we should be able to live together and accommodate one another. We should be able to iron out differences,” he said.

In September, the former governor joined Uhuru and Ruto for a rally in Kapkatet, a month after the August 8 General Election. He was among leaders who welcomed Uhuru and Ruto after they landed in the area, a move which signaled that he was on his way out of Raila Odinga’s National Super Alliance team, which he joined as the fifth principal.

Mr Rutto lost the Bomet governor seat to Jubilee’s Joyce Laboso in the August 8 polls and accepted the outcome of the polls and later attended the swearing-in of the new governor.