DP William Ruto Not Jubilee Party's Automatic Presidential Candidate in 2022, Secretary-General Raphael Tuju Says

Deputy President William Ruto is not Jubilee Party's automatic presidential candidate in 2022, Secretary-General Raphael Tuju says.

Tuju says the 2022 presidential flag bearer will be picked in accordance with the party’s constitution, which doesn't provide for an automatic presidential ticket as postulated by Ruto’s allies.

“We have a president who is the party leader and we have a deputy President who is the deputy party leader… So that line -up is there, but we also have a constitution indicating how we appoint our candidate for presidential candidacy and as far as I am concerned nothing has changed,” Tuju says in an interview with Citizen TV.

“Even President Uhuru Kenyatta… It was not automatic that he was going to be the party candidate as at the time we were going for elections. We had to have a national delegates conference…” adds Tuju.

Tuju's remarks come in the backdrop of Jubilee party vice-chairman David Murathe's controversial sentiments about Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 presidential bid.

Speaking last week, Murathe, a close ally of President Kenyatta said that the party and the Kikuyu community have no binding agreement with Ruto to support him in 2022. He said Ruto should retire in 2022 together with President Kenyatta.

“We have no MoU with anyone that we will support them in 2022. If he has any deal with Uhuru Kenyatta, then that is an agreement between the two of them,” said Murathe referring to Ruto.

“We Mt. Kenya community don’t have an agreement with DP to support him in 2022 unless it was between him and President Uhuru Kenyatta, he should prepare to go home,” added Murathe.

"If you (Ruto) have led with Uhuru for two terms, what else do you want? We don't know someone who will guard us but we know someone who will break us. We will take someone who will safeguard Mt Kenya."