NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 9 — ICT and Innovation Principal Secretary Jerome Ochieng is the latest official in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government to launch a public attack on Deputy President William Ruto as public officials loyal to the Head of State adopt an active role in presidential campaigns.
Ochieng who serves under ICT and Youth Affairs’ Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru, a sworn adversary of Ruto alongside Cabinet colleagues Fred Matiangi (Interior) and Peter Munya (Agriculture), dismissed Ruto’s planned launch of his manifesto on June 30 as an attempt to copy Raila Odinga’s blueprint.
“Do you actually need 3 weeks to copy and paste the Azimio document. How will you visit 47 counties if you visit central Kenya 3 times a week. Just asking for a concerned friend,” Ochieng remarked in a quoted retweet to Wednesday’s news update on Ruto’s planned launch.
His public statement makes him the second prominent Principal Secretary after Interior’s Karanja Kibicho to have gone all out in launching attacks against the DP in a bid to promote President Kenyatta’s preferred choice, Odinga.
He spoke a just a day after State House Press Secretary Kanze Dena joined the campaign trail departing from a tradition by her predecessors who kept of active politics including re-election campaigns for their bosses aside from managing media relations.
The former news anchor accompanied Martha Karua to Mombasa for campaigns organized under the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake lobby on Tuesday.
In the video, Dena is seen addressing hundreds of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake members at the Kenya School of Government in Mombasa, who endorsed the Raila Odinga’s ticket for August 9 State House race.
“Wamezoea tunapigana na magredi ya pilau majikoni lakini sasa tumeongeza magurudumu tuko mbele. (They’re used to seeing us in the kitchen but now we’ve added momentum and we’re ahead),” she stated.
Karua was attending the the 70th anniversary of the Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization, Coast Chapter and she was accompanied by several women leaders including Nyeri Deputy Governor Caroline Karugu who also doubles as Azimio’s Assistant Presidential Chief Agent, and Likoni Member of Parliament Mishi Mboko.
Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has been critical of public servants engaged in campaigns against the law which requires non-elected public officials seeking elective office to resign six months to an election.
The law also forbid the use of public resources including government vehicles on campaigns.
