Members of Parliament allied to Deputy President Dr William Ruto have vowed to mount a vigorous campaign to shoot down the referendum bill if “it is pushed down the throats of Kenyans.”

According to reports by a local daily, the lawmakers have warned that they have the wherewithal to mount a massive campaign against the public vote which they claimed is “predicated on selfish political interests.”

“We don’t fear a referendum at all. Let them bring it on,” said Soy MP Caleb Kositany, one of the few politicians in Ruto’s coterie. “At the end of the day, we will respect the decision of the majority of Kenyans. Let us meet at the ballot.”

Kandara’s Alice Wahome said Kenyans who voted for Uhuru and Ruto in 2017 are intact and would reject the plebiscite, despite Uhuru joining “the official opposition”.

“We haven’t crossed over and we haven’t changed our minds. We keep promises,” Wahome stated.

She claimed that President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Raila Odinga might as well have hatched a plot to destroy Ruto’s 2022 presidential ambitions.

“Nobody fears a referendum at all. What we are opposed to is a referendum that seeks to enable a few people to get power. We already know, for example, who wants to be Prime Minister and the two deputies,” she was quoted by the Star

The controversial MP, however, reminded Uhuru that the Ruto allies were not about to abandon the DP.

The warning shot from the DP’s brigade is the clearest signal yet that Ruto could be weighing his options, including a political duel with his boss.

Such a contest will likely leave him thoroughly bruised as the country’s political bigwigs have closed ranks to support constitutional change.