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Uhuru vs Ruto war rages as Moi’s burial exposes differences

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The death announcement followed by events of retired President Daniel Moi have exposed Deputy President William Ruto as an outsider in his own government.

According to protocol, President Uhuru Kenyatta who in the US — alongside ODM leader Raila Odinga —Deputy president william Ruto who is second in command was expected to be the man in charge. But this was not to be.

A compilation of the events as they unfolded hours after Moi’s death show that the DP was isolated and pushed away to the wall.

Instead, powerful Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi, a man believed to have the President’s ear, took over.

According to sources that alluded facts to the daily publisher, the Star  President Kenyatta personally asked Matiang’i to take charge of the burial plans immediately he was informed of Moi’s death.

“The President issued very clear instructions on how to proceed,” a Cabinet Secretary  source was quoted.

Further the Sources close to the President said once he issued his instructions, Matiang’i, KDF chief Samson Mwathate and other senior government officials dashed to the Nairobi Hospital.

They informed the Moi family that the government was taking over all the burial plans. Ruto was not at the hospital at the time.

“Once we were done with moving the body to Lee Funeral Home and the military deployed, we then went to the State House for a planning meeting.

“While at State House we learnt that the DP was going to address the media,” a senior State House official said.

The team held their meeting, expanded the committee and prepared a plan of action then went to brief the Moi family at Kabarnet Gardens in the afternoon.
Chief of Defense Forces Samson Mwathethe, IG Hillary Mutyambai, Defense CS Monica Juma and Interior Cabinet Secretary Karanja Kibicho attended the meeting.

The DP addressed the press conference all alone then proceeded to Lee Funeral Home without any senior government official by his side.

At the mortuary, only former Cabinet minister Franklin Bett was at hand to receive him.

He viewed the body, then flew to Kakamega to visit the school where 14 children had died in a stampede on Monday and condole the parents and staff.

When Ruto got back from Kakamega, he went to Kabarnet Gardens to offer condolences to the family.

It was hours after Matiangi, accompanied by  Mwathethe and police boss Hillary Mutyambai and his team had briefed the family and left Moi’s home.

“We just had a meeting, government-wide meeting, to organise ourselves for this,” Matiangi said at Moi’s home in Kabarnet Gardens.

He said that they were implementing the orders of the President.

“I can confirm that on our side as a government we are ready. We are implementing all the instructions His Excellency the President gave us on this,” Matiang’i said.

Matiangi has been steadily scaling the heights in Uhuru’s administration and is currently at the heart of the Executive following Uhuru’s reorganisation of his administration and the establishment of a four-tier hierarchy of authority.

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