Deputy President William Ruto watched silently on Monday, June 22, as the Jubilee Party purge spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta finally claimed its biggest victim, Garissa Township MP Aden Duale.
Ruto turned down President Uhuru Kenyatta's offer to address Jubilee Members of Parliament at the party's Parliamentary Group meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre that saw Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya take over the National Assembly Majority Leader role from Duale.
MPs who attended the PG detailed that only Kenyatta addressed the legislators. Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Glady's Shollei, while speaking with Citizen TV on Tuesday morning, June 23 stated that Ruto respectfully rejected the offer.
"I have clearly stated that he chose to respectfully listen to his party leader. He was, however, given the chance to speak," Sholei revealed.
More MPs added that Ruto had earlier on rejected the same offer after Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju invited him to speak.
"The room was tense. Ruto was not in the mood of addressing the meeting. Tuju invited him first to address the MPs but he declined, saying that he had nothing to say. Then when the President was through with his speech, he asked Ruto to say something, but he declined," an MP seeking anonymity stated while speaking with the Standard.
During the meeting, Kenyatta read a riot act against those opposing his agenda, urging them to quit Jubilee.
"Hii mbio haiwezi wafikisha mahali (This rush won’t lead you anywhere). You must learn to be patient. Leaders should be appreciated and respected because of what they stand for but not peddling lies and causing public confusion.
"I'm ready to discharge those against my agenda so that you can concentrate on other things and leave me to fulfil my agenda," Kenyatta reportedly stated.
Ruto, later on, broke his silence and heaped praise on Duale, who led the Jubilee Coalition and later Jubilee Party business in the National Assembly for over 7 years.
"My brother Aden Duale. You are a great leader. For the last eight years, you discharged your responsibilities as our party's first majority leader with style, precision, passion and loyalty.
My friend, you will have a chapter when parliamentary history is written. Mbele iko sawa na Mungu (With God, the future is bright)," Ruto tweeted.
