Mustafa Juma

President Uhuru Kenyatta has on several occasions blocked multi state agencies involved in fighting economic corruption and other crimes from summoning or even arresting his deputy William Ruto to shed more light on various matters after the DP’s name featured during various investigations of prime suspects.

Whereas Ruto supporters openly claim Uhuru has abandoned his deputy and betrayed him, to the contrary, the head of state has gone full fledged to protect his embattled DP both locally and internationally.

Talk is rife, Uhuru is currently engaged in secret mission to have Western capitals have travel bans on Ruto and his family lifted.

The president’s decision not to assign Ruto international state functions is due to the said bans.According to one MP within Jubilee well versed with the scenarios, it was on this ground a bitter Uhuru openly stated in public, he was no longer going to protect anybody linked to graft including close members of his family.

Insiders familiar with the developments intimated to a local daily that in the past the president has turned down requests by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and Directorate of Criminal Investigations to summon Ruto to record statements after the DP’s name featured prominently in corruption allegations.

To summon the DP, the sleuths require the consent of the head of state due to the political ramifications the move would generate.

Apart from corruption allegations, the detectives have been seeking to summon Ruto to record statements over his outbursts which they consider as alarming.

One such statement is when he publicly claimed three cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries from Mount Kenya region had hatched a plot to kill him.

His remarks saw Uhuru direct the CSs implicated in the Ruto assassination to record statements with DCI.

However the investigations could not proceed according to one CS involved in the matter on grounds, Ruto was to be summoned to record a statement that could have lasted for hours but when the head of state was briefed of the next action to be taken, he told those involved to go slow saying if Ruto was serious with his allegations, he should record a statement himself but not be seen as being coerced.

By then, many saw Ruto assassination claims as political games aimed at winning sympathy from his Mt Kenya voters moreso after the president had decided to sideline him from initiating development projects in favour of cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries from the region.

The group was meeting at Hotel Lamada to focus on Mt Kenya region development agenda when the DP made the outbursts.

Though the sleuths recorded statements from the CSs and PSs, Ruto did not record his statement that would have enabled the sleuths to either charge the CSs and PSs with attempted murder or alternatively charge the DP with making a false report.

Another outburst the DP made which state security organs considered as alarming was during the burial of Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei when he claimed the system wanted him out of the presidential race at whatever cost, meaning they wanted him dead.

Ruto was to record a statement on the effect but Uhuru stopped it again according a city politician well in the know of the happenings.

Insiders familiar with the developments revealed multi agencies have over six times gathered sufficient evidence linking the deputy president and his allies to suspicious mega tenders but when they sought Uhuru’s nod to summon him, they were directed to shelve the file until they get instructions from him.

But all this time, the sources added, the president has been buying time as he quietly lays the ground for Ruto’s arrest by first whittling down his influence in the government and reducing his international image by halting his interactions with global leaders.

The president has also been building a new power base where ODM leader Raila Odinga and Baringo senator Gideon Moi are key pillars who will fill the void once Ruto is vanquished.

The plan is to have Gideon take the place of Ruto to avert a rebellion by the Kalenjin community after the fall of the man many consider as their political kingpin.

Many however say Gideon foot is too small for Ruto’s oversize shoes in RV.The president has also been dismantling Ruto’s political network to ensure once he is in trouble, there will no leaders brave enough to call for demonstrations to pile pressure on the government to go slow on him.

The head of state has also been preparing Kenyans mentally by pledging that he will spare no one in the fight against corruption, including the deputy president or the president’s family members.