President Uhuru Kenyatta (right) with his deputy William Ruto
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, no longer enjoy the brotherly relationship they once had
Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has asked his deputy, William Ruto, to resign, as a bitter row between the two intensifies ahead of the general election in August.
Kenyatta has accused Ruto of not doing enough to help the country deal with the struggling economy and says he should not criticise the government from within.
But in a tweet, the deputy president claimed the cabinet had not met in more than two years and told President Kenyatta that he was just a phone call away.
The president does not have the power to sack his deputy – he can only be removed from office if he is impeached or is incapacitated.
The differences between President Kenyatta and his deputy have played out openly as Kenya mourned the death of the former head of state Mwai Kibaki. Throughout Friday’s state funeral, President Kenyatta declined to shake Ruto’s hand.
The falling-out is largely due to August’s general election.
Ruto wants to run for president, but President Kenyatta has instead backed the main opposition leader, Raila Odinga.
The economy has been a major issue in the run-up to the elections. Kenya is facing record levels of inflation, with commodities such as cooking oil and fuel going up in price.