President William Ruto once again proved himself a shrewd political tactician after his candidate, Leo Wamuthende, clinched victory in the Mbeere North by-election held on Thursday.
For weeks, many Kenyans—particularly those in the opposition camp led by the embattled former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua—were supremely confident that the Mbeere North electorate would reject Ruto. Gachagua had repeatedly accused the president of betraying the Mt Kenya voters who backed him in the 2022 presidential race.
But Thursday evening’s results stunned many. Leo Wamuthende, running under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), trounced Democratic Party contender Newton Kariuki, who enjoyed the full backing of the opposition and Gachagua’s camp.
What Gachagua and his loyalists failed to grasp is that President Ruto had taken time to study the political behaviour of the Kikuyu community—and he understood that their most exploitable pressure point is money (Mbeca).
Sources reveal that the president instructed his deputy, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, and UDA chairperson Cecily Mbarire to descend on Mbeere North with literal sacks of cash, convinced that financial persuasion would tilt the ground. Kindiki, himself a sharp political operator, reportedly camped in the constituency with the money right up to voting day.
And as Ruto predicted, when the tallying was completed on Friday morning, Wamuthende edged out Newton Kariuki by a slim but decisive margin, securing the high-stakes parliamentary seat for UDA.
Economists estimate that the Ruto administration spent roughly Sh700 million on the Mbeere North contest—translating to an astonishing Sh50,000 spent per vote.
Meanwhile, Gachagua and his candidate, who lacked both the financial muscle and the strategy, were left dumbfounded as Wamuthende marched off with the victory.
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