NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 25 – Deputy President William Ruto has given the clearest indication yet that he will ditch the Jubilee Party if push comes to shove and use the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party as his preferred political outfit in 2022.
While admitting of being aware of powerful individuals in and outside government hell bent to have him kicked out from the Jubilee Party, DP Ruto noted that he will not just sit and wait for that to happen.
“If they continue to push us to the wall we will definitely leave Jubilee and use UDA as our vehicle in 2022. UDA is one of the Jubilee party coalition partners and it will not be wrong for those who feel aggrieved to decamp to it,” he said on Thursday during an interview with Citizen Radio.
DP Ruto who is still facing impeachment threats with a section of his critics like the Jubilee Party Vice Chairperson David Murathen having vowed to proceed with plans to have him ousted maintained he is not cowed and that he will remain steadfast to the end regardless of the continuous frustration.
“They are afraid because the hustler movement is making inroads in all corners of the country and that is why they want to take us back to the politics of tribalism and formations of parties that are based on tribes,” he said.
Ruto noted that once it becomes official that he will be leading the UDA brigade, the team will be a force to reckon with even as he re-affirmed that his quest to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta was well on course.
“Good things come to those who wait but they will be left to those who hustle and the UDA party will not be a tribal party and we will do all it takes to unite Kenyans. More importantly we’ll ensure that we are not taken back to the politics of tribalism,” he said.
Ruto defended his hustler movement narrative noting that it was the best antidote for the country’s perennial problems which he claimed have over the years been encouraged by poor and divisive politics fueled by ethnicity.
“Our movement aims to bring all Kenyans on board. I am very clear in my mind and I know what I am saying. I am not a mad person. Those pushing for tribal politics are the biggest enemies of our country and they need to be stopped,” he said.
While disabusing the notion that his movement was creating a class war as alleged by critics, DP Ruto noted that contrary to the lies, the narrative would shape the country’s politics and more importantly spark a paradigm shift on the economic model of the country.
“I am happy our movement has changed the conversation because it is no longer about tribes, its about wheelbarrow, the mama mbogas, the boda boda and that is the conversation we must have as a nation. Our focus at the moment should be about looking for a solution on how the close to 16 million unemployed Kenyans can get a source of income and that is why the bottom up approach is ideal,” he said.
DP Ruto also stated that as the race to succeed President Kenyatta continues to shape up he is open to political alliances on condition that those who wish to join him should subscribe or believe to his hustler narrative.
“If there are people who will share our ideas and ambitions we will definitely form an alliance with them. Our agenda is to bring all Kenyans on board,” he said.
Already, the UDA Party has announced plans to embark on grassroots elections on June 18 across all counties in a bid to solidify its support base across the country ahead of the high stake 2022 polls which are a year and five months away.
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