Ruto defies Uhuru; set to launch projects in his Rift Valley backyard -

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Allies giving solidarity messages to striking nurses

In what analyst predict will rub his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta the wrong way, Deputy President William Ruto is scheduled to resume his county development tours this weekend with a visit to North Rift and Western.

As a forerunning indication that he will not be politically subdued, earlier today, the DP held several public events in his Uasin Gishu County including a funeral for former President Moi’s long serving bodyguard.

The DP also visited the neighbouring TransNzoia County for a church function and then officially opened Ziwa Technical Training Institute (TTI) Tuition Block and Library and Ziwa High School, Soy, Uasin Gishu County.

However it is his planned tour of Nandi and Bomet Counties on Saturday and then Kakamega County on Sunday that is eagerly anticipated by both supporters and and foes in equal measure.

A source from DP Ruto’s office told Kenyan News Day that the strategy this weekend is to ensure there is no interruptions in his political rythm and that the real objective is to mobilise the grassroots and reassure supporters that Matiang’i appointment does not in anyway affect his position nor his plans for 2022.

State House handlers will be focusing on his tours to see of the plan is to defy Uhuru’s Executive Order No. 1 which created the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee chaired by Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.

Kenyan News Day also learnt that following the creation of the Matiang’i committee, strategist in Ruto’s camp figured the DP could counties with launching projects so long as they were not national government projects which Matiang’i was supervising.

They therefore ordered all governors and MPs allied to DP Ruto’s to submit their individual list of potential projects the DP could visit and launch and consequently, this weekend DP Ruto and his team will embark on launching constituency projects in Mumias and Bomet on Saturday followed by Kakamega town on Sunday.

To underline the seriousness of State House in ensuring compliance with Presidential Orders, NSI field officers will be filing up to the minute reports on everything that is said and done during the DP’s weekend tour, and all eyes, ears and tape recorders will be open if the DP or his allies dare to continue with campaigns for 2022.

When parliament resumed this week, MPs close to Ruto were excited about the upcoming tour during which the DP is expect to be out in full swing to launching NG-CDF projects in constituencies and county government projects in the counties.

Several MPs aligned to Ruto were also said to be in contact with Kenya Union of Nurse’s secretary general Seth Panyako and offering encouragement and solidarity to the striking nurses. The MPs reportedly told Panyako not to call off the strike and that parliament would offer defence even if President Uhuru Kenyatta went ahead with his threat to sack and arrest those participating in the strike.

The strike by nurses is reported to be one agenda that DP Ruto and team are intent on embracing. Both Panyako and CS Labour Ukuru Yatani are believed to be in DP Ruto’s corner.

Political observers have noted that Ruto has himself steered clear of the nurses strike which has now reached crisis levels prompting presidential intervention.