Ruto Barred from Using Jubilee Headquarters, to be Removed as Party's Deputy Leader

Deputy President William Ruto has been barred from using Jubilee Party headquarters to hold meetings meant to advance his political ambitions.

The decision was made by the Jubilee National Management Committee (NMC), which also recommended the removal of Ruto as the party’s deputy leader for allegedly launching parallel party offices dubbed Jubilee Asili.

“…the Deputy Party Leader as a self-declared Presidential Candidate for 2022 will not be allowed to use the Party headquarters as a center of operationalization of his 2022 campaign and to use the center for intimidation of any potential opponent or Party staff…. It is no longer tenable for the DP to use the Party platform including statements from the Party Headquarters to advance his divisive so-called hustler politics that are counter to the Party and Presidents platform of uniting the country, the fight against corruption, and the agenda four items,” Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju told a media briefing on Friday.

“…the NMC has recommended to the NEC that the DP ceases to be Deputy Party Leader after he opened the so-called Jubilee Asili offices that is reserved for him and his allies until such a time that this development of Jubilee Asili is discussed at the NEC,” Tuju added.

The development comes a day after Ruto stormed the party’s headquarters in Pangani, Nairobi, and hosted over 30 MPs in what Tuju described as an “attempted power grab.”

“Yesterday, the DP turned up at the Party Headquarters with more than 30 MPs many of them known avowed abusers of the President. These are the same fowl mouthed MPs that are on record attacking government programs like the Huduma number.”

“It is disturbing that the Deputy President invites this same retinue to the Party Headquarters to give them a platform to increase polarization in the Party. Indeed, that move of inviting MPs allied to him almost created an ugly confrontation with close to 40 MPs not allied to him who also wanted to storm the headquarters,” added Tuju.

He also took issue with Ruto’s decision to express a dissenting view on the party’s decision not to field a candidate in the upcoming Msambweni by-election and further endorsing an independent candidate.

DP Ruto was also faulted for skipping Monday’s Covid-19 conference where he was expected to give remarks before inviting the President to read his speech.

“For such travesty, the only thing we have received from the DPs camp are tweets from his allies rubbing salt into the injury,” said Tuju.

“We have witnessed the unprovoked and inexplicable abuse of Former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta by political allies of the Deputy Party Leader and the subsequent response by Hon. Ruto that exhibited not an ounce of contrition. Some of the abuses have been expressed in the most primitive and vulgar.”