As the Deputy of President of Kenya, Ruto passes as a Very Very Important Person (VVIP), who should have at his disposal all the trappings of power that come with the Office of the Presidency. Pursuant to the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the DP and the President occupy an office called Office of the Presidency. As a consequence, they both enjoy the privileges attached to the office.
However, this has not been the case. The DP has continually faced insubordination and discrimination from the very office he occupies. Earlier this year, the DP was denied access to his official residence in Mombasa, and recently had no access to government facilities. On the 28th of August, the Deputy President while travelling to Mombasa, boarded a commercial Kenya Airways Plane and ended up spending the night at a private hotel. The norm is, he should be accommodated in his official residence and should have military planes at his disposal for movements.
When we contacted his Deputy Spokesperson Mr. Emmanuel Talam on the matter, he declined to make it clear whether the DP’s office has been making efforts in the recent times to get travelling arrangements accorded to presidential protocol. Some Legislators allied to the DP have come out bitterly to condemn the segregation Ruto is facing. Soy MP Hon. Caleb Kositany commented on the matter saying, the DP is unwanted and therefore has decided to finance his logistics from his personal pocket. The DP has been heard pointing fingers at a cabal in the Office of the President with hell-bent plans to his 2022 Presidential ambitions.
