The cold war between Deputy President Willam Ruto and Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju has taken new dimensions with the pair openly differing over Ruto's announcement in Malinya Village, Ikolomani Sub-county, Kakamega on Thursday, October 10.
At the requiem mass of Adelaide Khalwale, the late wife of former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, DP Ruto announced that Jubilee Party would be holding internal elections in March 2019.
"I am asking Jubilee members that as a democratic party that believes in open, transparent competition, each one of us will compete for whatever position they are looking for. To kick off the process early next year, we'll have elections of the party countrywide, so that we can have a grassroots network competitively identified to manage the affairs of our party," he announced.
This statement sparked reactions from various key members of Jubilee Party who were angered by what they referred to as blatant disrespect of the party's modus operandi.
The Daily Nation reported on Friday, October 11, that Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju was the first to differ with DP Ruto's announcement.
While he agreed that indeed time was nigh for the party to conduct the elections, he stated that it was not the deputy president's role to announce the dates and the means through which the elections would be conducted.
"The National Executive Council (NEC) will decide whether the elections will start from the grassroots all the way to the national offices. We expect to hold elections somewhere after March next year," he was quoted.
Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu and his counterpart Maina Kamanda sought to agree with Tuju's assertions on the DP's announcement.
Kamanda accused Ruto of purporting to speak for President Uhuru Kenyatta. He sensationally claimed that Ruto had never been satisfied with his role as a deputy and was of the thought that he was equal to the president.
Wambugu took swipes at Ruto for what he alleged was his habit of using every means possible to micromanage the party to his own advantage.
The announcement was however welcomed by Jubilee Deputy Secretary General Caleb Kositany and Senate Deputy Chief Whip Irungu Kang'ata and Kimilili MP Didymus Barasa, who agreed that the polls would give the party members a chance to have a say in its leadership.
