Ruto must resign for abandoning collective responsibility
MICHAEL KIMINGICHI
It is now clear to all that Deputy President (DP) William Ruto is actively subverting the Jubilee government he serves in.
Frustrated that he is not in control, the second in command is ironically distancing himself from initiatives of his government.
The “Handshake” cease-fire with the Opposition is an initiative he ostensibly disagreed with from the very beginning, until President Uhuru Kenyatta publicly debunked that stance.
That put him in a fix, as someone who is averse to truth especially when confronted with any move that he thinks would slow down his ultimate career ambitions of being the next President of Kenya.
Euphoric appeals
Unfortunately, his selfish actions, are first and foremost damaging the authority of the Executive and ultimately embarrassing the President.
Ruto is by and large turning Uhuru into a lame-duck-president by abusing constitutional protections accorded to him as the principal assistant, in actualising Jubilee government’s myriad unfulfilled promises.
Public trust in existing government organs is plummeting- thanks to the open defiance towards the President, disdain for any collaboration offered by the Opposition and the continued instigation of strained relations by Ruto among political colleagues.
Secondly, his adoption of victim politics is threatening to destabilise the country as his “hustler” narrative disparages established government processes.
This mass mobilisation through euphoric appeals for sympathy, accusations against opponents and selective interpretation of events or issues in his favour, is distracting the country’s energies from efforts to recovery after Covid-19 pandemic.
Thirdly, his operationalisation of an amorphous political party movement structure, has sowed the seeds of divided loyalties, thereby brewing indiscipline within political parties.
This has encouraged confusion on one hand and outright rebellion on the other as Ruto creates a unrestrained scenario that will allow him to sweep in as the charismatic saviour of the disadvantaged in society; and will eventually ride into the presidency without any political vision of prosperity for Kenyans.
Ruto should be reminded that in taking the oath to serve as the country’s DP, one of the principles he vowed to abide by was collective responsibility which is a notion of wholistic accountability in government affairs.
If there is any disagreement or divergent views in the conduct of affairs, then the individual is required to resign thus preventing institutional discord.
Consequently, the sustained in ternal breaches have now grown into full blown transgressions of subversion that are now playing out in the country at the expense of Kenyans, who continue to suffer the consequences of undelivered promises.
Many politicians may deem Kenyans to be forgetful simpletons, but it must be stated again that the noble citizens of this country cannot forget what being a hustler has truly meant to them under UhuRuto rule. Ruto cannot disentangle himself from the misrule and metamorphose as the saviour of Kenyans.
Overriding principle
One cannot claim to be delivering with distinction when they do not take any political responsibility for current failures.
Working in the interest of the public is the overriding principle that Kenyan citizenry will use in gauging consistent courses of action, needed in the country’s development.
Ruto should decide whether he is still upholding collective responsibility in his government or not. If not, then he should resign forthwith. — The writer is a digital consultant and political analyst — [email protected]
