A section of Jubilee Party legislators have come out guns blazing, accusing President Uhuru Kenyatta of using the fight against corruption to scuttle DP Ruto’s 2022 bid and daring his back Raila Odinga or anyone else.
Uhuru has shown he does not want to back Ruto. Let him back Raila or anyone else-MPs claim
Jubilee MPs dare Uhuru as war of words escalate over corruption and DP Ruto's 2022 bid
File image of Marakwet East MP Kangogo Bowen (R) with DP Ruto and Elgeyo Marakwet senator Kipchumba Murkomen
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Speaking in Eldoret on Saturday (today) the team of 5 legislators led by Kangogo Bowen (Marakwet East MP), William Kisang (Marakwet West) claimed that President Kenyatta has shown that he does not want to support DP Ruto to succeed him in 2022.
In a bold declaration, the MPs who were flanked by 30 Members of County Assembly (MCAs) accused the president of targeting the Kalenjin community in the ongoing war on graft in a bid to stop Deputy President William Ruto from succeeding him in 2022.
"This is politics and we won't entertain tricks. If Uhuru does not want Ruto, let him not sacrifice Kalenjins. Let him engage Ruto on his own," Bowen stated.
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On his part, Marakwet West MP William Kisang challenged the President to support anyone else contrary to his earlier public declaration that he would support DP ruto upon the expiry of his second term.
"Let him back (AU envoy) Raila (Odinga) in 2022 or anyone else, but he should know that the people of Kenya will decide." Kisang said.
MPs William Kisang (Marakwet West), Kangogo Bowen (Marakwet East) and Marakwet county assembly speaker Phillemon Sabulei in Eldoret on Saturday, March 9, 2019
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Others present were Daniel Rono (Keiyo South), Woman Representative Jane Chebaibai and Marakwet county assembly speaker Phillemon Sabulei.
The MPs maintained that the war against corruption has been politicized to target those allied to DP Ruto.
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Bowen alleged that Treasury CS Henry Rotich was being targeted because he is a Kalenjin from Ruto's community with the MPs insisting that they are not opposed to investigations into graft cases, but they should not be driven by interests in 2022 politics.
"They are talking of building bridges for peace and unity while at the same time demolishing bridges to stop some people in 2022," he said.
DP Ruto clashes with Raila
The ongoing fight against corruption has sparked a new rivalry between DP William Ruto with AU envoy Raila Odinga with the differences playing out at the 6th Annual devolution conference.
Raila questioned how DR Ruto got the information on the loss of billions in the phantom dam project and asked the DP to give investigating agencies space to do their work.
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"If we are talking about the theft of the dams and figures are there don't come and tell us it was not Ksh20 billion that it was only Ksh7 billion," Mr Odinga stated.
Raila at the devolution conference
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Earlier on, DP Ruto had taken issues with Odinga for "exaggerating figures and introducing mandazi economics that don't make sense”.
"I want to remind the 'Lord of Poverty' that you told Kenyans that if you lost elections you are going to cook mandazis in Kibra. Why are you not cooking mandazis? Why are you importing mandazinomics to the government?" DP Ruto ranted.
“They have whipped together a narrative to try and criminalise and bastardise these development initiatives. The lords of poverty, people who have benefited from keeping people in the slavery of poverty want to criminalise every development initiative.”
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