DP Ruto must accept he has been unethical and resign
MICHAEL KIMINGICHI
Between 2020 and 2021 the UK Cabinet of Boris Johnson has faced 14 resignations.
Reasons ranged from refusal to abandon government allies or political advisors; disagreement on new roles assigned under the reorganisation of government; quarrels over Covid-19 response; discord on legislative agenda; and political friction over prioritisation of issues in the government agenda among others.
Following the storming of the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters in America, about 15 US Cabinet members of the administration resigned because they disagreed with the trajectory in which the country was heading.
Many of the resignations were made within hours of disagreeing with how Trump openly encouraged supporters to protest what he claimed was a stolen election especially once the marchers turned violent.
Leaders resign when they have at least one grievance in relation to their beliefs and understanding of decision-making practice.
It is the hallmark of integrity to buttress responsibility for actions, support accountability and draw boundaries of personal or institutional ethics.
Nonetheless, in Kenya, even after President Uhuru Kenyatta has for all intents and purposes expressed his frustration with his deputy William Ruto, the latter has refused to resign and leave government.
This is because he is protected by the Constitution based on historical needs that sought to safeguard the position from political malice faced by his predecessors.
Unfortunately, his actions have set a terrible historical precedent that have shown how the order of government business can be disrupted from within it giving credence to the president’s accusations that he feels his deputy is a dishonourable two-faced liar who is only concerned with pursuing his political ambitions.
The president believes his deputy’s unprincipled behaviour has confused the public and is a cowardly political tactic because if indeed he felt strongly about his positions, then he can leave government and go campaign openly.
Ruto has broken the rule of collective responsibility. He pretended to support the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) while actively sabotaging it through his lieutenants.
He claimed he didn’t receive a government invitation to a Covid-19 conference and skipped the event to go launch his Hustler movement.
Not to mention that when the government was looking to convince the public that the AstroZeneca vaccine was safe for uptake, the deputy undermined the roll out plan by promoting the Sputnik V vaccine.
Ruto should note the contradictions of his actions and the violations of his oath of office, and disqualified himself as the deputy president.
For all intend and purpose, it is wrong for the DP to turn around and scheme against his boss, doing anything that would embarrass him or turning him into a lame duck leader.
Despite pretending to support the president he separates himself from blunders but claims success for himself thereby constantly leaving Uhuru with egg on his face.
Ruto should declare his lack of intend and interest in helping to govern, resign and pursue his ambition of charting a path to climb up the ladder to be president ahead of the forthcoming elections. — The writer is a political analyst and commentator on social issues — [email protected]
