President Uhuru Says Ruto Hatched a Plan to Impeach Him

President Kenyatta has finally explained what led to his fallout with Deputy President William Ruto.

Kenyatta spoke during a meeting with a delegation of 3,000 Gikuyu elders and a section of political leaders from Mt Kenya at State House, Nairobi on Saturday.

The Standard reports that the president cited Ruto’s insatiable appetite for power, impatience, and sabotage as the root cause of their strained relationship and eventual fallout.

Kenyatta reportedly told the elders that Ruto unsuccessfully hatched a plot to remove him from office through impeachment and sabotage. 

The deputy president’s greed for power, Kenyatta added, led him to create dissent within the ruling Jubilee Party in a wider plan intended to oust him.

“The president informed us that Ruto was going behind his back, planning how he could close ranks with Raila to impeach him at an appropriate time,” Mathioya MP Peter Kimari told The Standard.

It is for this reason that Kenyatta reached out to his arch-rival Raila Odinga to steady the government and ensure peace and stability in the wake of the acrimonious 2017 general elections.

Kenyatta pointed out that his handshake with Odinga deflated what he termed as Ruto's grand plan to sabotage his administration and ascend to power via unorthodox means.

While describing the deputy president as an impatient leader whose sole focus is to ascend to power by all means, Uhuru told the elders that Odinga is his preferred successor.

He called upon the elders to mobilize support for 77-year-old Odinga, who is giving his fifth stab at the presidency under the Azimio La Umoja coalition.