NARC Kenya party leader Martha Karua has advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to renew a proper working relationship with his deputy William Ruto or for the Jubilee government to resign and go home to allow Kenyans elect new office-holders.
Karua, speaking on Citizen TV’s Day Break show on Tuesday morning, said – according to Law – the Presidency consists of the President and Deputy President hence both should relinquish their offices if they are unable to work together.
She thereby rubbished calls from a section of political leaders for DP Ruto to resign from government saying his (Ruto’s) and President Kenyatta’s roles are intertwined and one cannot leave office while the other stays on.
Karua slammed President Kenyatta for allegedly abandoning his deputy and throwing him out in the cold saying their mandates require them to work together for the good of the country even if they do not see eye-to-eye.
“The occupier of the Office of President must be conscious, at all times, that his mandate is together with his deputy, and if he feels that they can no longer work together, the government can resign and we will elect another president with his deputy,” said Karua.
“They’re joined at the hip, calls for one to go and not the other I think is a skewed application of the law. For the duration of their term, they must suffer each other, it is possible to work with people you don’t ordinarily agree with because the office is not personal space; it’s a public space.”
The NARC Kenya party boss further questioned the Head of State on the example he is setting for other leaders, especially governors, on how to treat their deputies in cases of disagreements.
She posed, “My question to our president, with the greatest respect, is what precedent are you setting of how a president should treat a deputy? What examples are you giving to the governors on how to treat their deputies? We already had instances where some governors were using their power to oppress their deputies, are you now putting your stamp on such a practice?”
“Moving forward, we need to see that the holder of the office of president treats his deputy with decorum, and if there are disagreements, they should be in their boardroom, not out in the public. And if the situation becomes untenable, then they can vacate and let other people carry on.”