Uhuru Holds 7-Hour Meeting With DP William Ruto before Madaraka Day
Reports have surfaced alleging that President Uhuru Kenyatta met with his Deputy William Ruto on Saturday, May 30, in a seven-hour meeting at State House.
The meeting comes in the wake of wrangles and division that have recently rocked the Jubilee Party, leading to the purge against key allies of DP Ruto.
A report by the Standard on Monday, June 1, indicated that details of the meeting between the two are still scanty and it is not yet clear whether the DP will attend or skip Madaraka Day celebrations at State House. Ruto skipped Labour Day celebrations on May 1, 2020, hosted by Kenyatta.
State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena declined to comment on the meeting while Ruto’s spokesperson Emmanue Tallam playing cagey with information on the alleged meeting.
“I am not aware of that meeting. If there was one, it must be one of those regular ones between the President and his deputy,” Tallam stated.
Ruto has since gone silent, hatching a laid back approach in his cold war with Kenyatta. A series of meetings between him and close allies revealed that he warned them against rattling Kenyatta, who on an in an interview with NTV on Sunday, May 31, stated that he would only work with those who supported his agenda.
The DP’s close ally and Kpasaret MP Oscar Sudi shed light on Ruto’s seven-hour meeting with Kenyatta, stating that the two engaged each other from morning to evening.
“We know there are those who do not want to hear that the two meet, they rejoice in the perceived sour relationship. The two met, they have a mandate to deliver and they must work together, I am not, however privy to what they discussed,” Sudi stated.
Kenyatta, on Sunday, May 31, issued a statement on the progress of Jubilee Party, after a month-long purge on DP Ruto’s allies which saw the ousting of Senator Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet) as Senate Majority and Senator Kithure Kindiki (Tharaka-Nithi) as Senate Deputy Speaker.
The President also enforced changes in the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) against Ruto’s wishes.
“Jubilee represents every part of our country, every group in our nation and is committed to uniting Kenyans under a shared vision of peace, progress and prosperity. It is a home for those with this shared vision for our country, with shared values and ideas for its growth and development.
“Kenyans are ready for a more sophisticated and political debate based on ideas and vision; we are ready to take the first bold step away from ethnically based politics. Our party and its institution, procedures and purpose presented here in its constitution reflect the modern practices of a truly progressive democratic party,” Kenyatta stated in a statement shared by Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju.
