Ruto dares Gachagua in Mt Kenya incursion

President William Ruto yesterday launched a defiant counteroffensive in his central Kenya tour – the backyard of his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua.

He dismissed threats to make him a one-term president as he doubled down on his development agenda.

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“If you want to compete with me, bring better ideas – tell Kenyans your plans for agriculture, roads, electricity, health and water,” Ruto challenged critics during a stopover in Laikipia, where he was met by cheering crowds.

“These endless political noises won’t put food on tables,” he added.

The President’s five-day tour, his first major foray into the Central region since his bitter fallout with Gachagua, has set the stage for escalating tensions.

Earlier, Ruto claimed that his former deputy had demanded Sh10 billion to “organise” Mt Kenya politics, warning: “If my fate is one-term, so be it.”

Gachagua’s camp has dismissed the allegations as blackmail. Despite the political theatrics, Ruto unveiled projects for the region, including electricity connections for 15,000 Nyeri and Laikipia households.

He also unveiled new fresh produce markets in Laikipia and pledged to accelerate work on the Mau Mau Road and other stalled infrastructure projects.

“We’re delivering what we promised,” declared Ruto, flanked by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and six Cabinet Secretaries.

Kindiki took a veiled swipe at Gachagua saying: “I won’t exchange insults – my job is to deliver Kenya.”

The tour exposed deepening rifts in the Kenya Kwanza camp as the former DP’s allies dismissed Ruto’s projects as “rebranded Jubilee initiatives” from the retired President Uhuru Kenyatta era.

A section of Mt Kenya MPs had warned of “political isolation” in 2027, a claim Ruto rejected saying: “No region will be left behind.”

Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire rallied support for the President saying, “We elected Ruto to work – not to quit midstream.”

Analysts say the tour tests whether tangible deliverables can outweigh growing discontent. The region delivered more than 30 per cent of Ruto’s 2022 votes but Gachagua’s influence looms large.

“Kenya’s economy is stabilising,” Ruto said, citing the strengthening shilling and falling fuel prices. The President said he was clear that his agenda was about development, and not drama, as he broke ground on new classrooms in Nyeri.

He dismissed the opposition, which is led by, among others, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, saying they have nothing to offer Kenyans.

“If you want to compete with me, go get a better agenda and tell Kenyans what you will do about agriculture, roads, electricity, health and water,” he added.

Ruto urged Gachagua and Musyoka to wait for the 2027 election for Kenyans to decide whether he worked or not. “You (opposition) will go round and your endeavours would amount to nothing. Stop these unnecessary noises,” the head of state said during a stop in Laikipia.

Gachagua’s allies have also pledged to oppose Ruto’s 2027 reelection bid and dismissed the Mt Kenya tour as merely for splashing goodies. But in a televised interview with Mt Kenya vernacular stations, the President said he was ready to go home.

“If my fate is to be one-term president, so be it,” Ruto said, a message he reiterated in his tours, saying Kenyans would have the ultimate say. CSs Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), Rebecca Miano (Tourism), Alice Wahome (Lands) and William Kabogo (ICT) accompanied the head of state. Kindiki, for his part, said that as government officers, they “will not waste time trying to argue with people without an agenda for Kenya.”

“They are not telling Kenyans what they are going to do to make things better,” the DP said, assuring the President of his support.

“People are advising me that I am not exchanging with the President. I am not in the opposition...my job is to defend the President and ensure we deliver for the people of Kenya,” he added.

“Let those with other ideas be told I have no time...I account for every day I spend in that office. I don’t know what those speaking did during their time.”

Among the issues that MPs cited in Gachagua’s impeachment was that he advanced sectarian politics at the expense of patriotism.

On this, Ruto said he would continue working with leaders from across the country and that no region would be sidelined because of its political leanings.

He dismissed the narrative by the opposition of a plot to sideline Central region in the 2027 political matrix. “We have no room for fitina na upuzi (nonsense). Don’t be lied to that this region will be left behind, that is a lie,” the President said.

His lieutenants, among them Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah, echoed the sentiments, saying they will soldier on despite the heavy criticism.

“We accept names as long as Kenya moves forward,” the Majority leader, who was among the leading lights in Gachagua’s impeachment bid, said.

Mbarire added: “Let’s not listen to detractors. We elected Ruto to fulfill his agenda for us. We can’t be told two and a half years later that we should abandon the government.”

Area leaders also hailed the Kenya Kwanza administration for restoring peace in the once-disturbed parts of Laikipia. A confident Ruto said he was sure wananchi, including central Kenya residents, would take note of his efforts to change things for the better.

He cited the stabilisation of the Kenya shilling against the US dollar, the falling prices of fuel, maize flour and other basic commodities as signs of progress. “For two years, I have been planning things because the economy was on a downward spin. The economy is now okay and we will focus on building roads, markets and schools,” the President said.

Ruto landed in the region with pledges to complete road projects, markets, and classrooms and connect more homes to the electricity grid.