By John Ikani
President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta has urged his deputy, William Ruto, to quit as their spat heats up ahead of the August general election.
Mr Kenyatta accused Mr Ruto of not doing enough to help the country deal with the struggling economy, and said he shouldn’t criticise the government from within.
Responding to Mr Uhuru’s call in a tweet, the deputy president stated that the cabinet had not convened in over two years and assured President Kenyatta that he was only a phone call away.
It would be recalled that the President and his deputy won the 2013 elections on a joint ticket.
The president has no authority to fire his deputy; he may only be removed from office if he is impeached or becomes disabled.
As the country grieved the passing of former President Mwai Kibaki, the contrasts between President Kenyatta and his deputy were on display.
President Kenyatta refused to shake Mr. Ruto’s hand at the official funeral on Friday.
The general elections in August are to blame for most of the squabbling.
Mr Ruto wants to run for president, but Mr Kenyatta has instead backed opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The economy has been a major issue in the run-up to the elections. Kenya is currently facing record levels of inflation, with commodities such as cooking oil and fuel going up in price.
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