President William Ruto’s powerful personal aide, Farouk Kibet, had a day he would rather forget on Friday, after being heckled loudly and embarrassingly in Bungoma County during what was supposed to be a routine empowerment function.
Kibet has spent the better part of the last six months camped in Luhya land, working tirelessly to sell President Ruto’s re-election bid to the Mulembe Nation ahead of the August 2027 presidential election.
His strategy has largely involved dishing out millions of shillings to convince residents of Western Kenya to back the head of state, as Ruto’s support in the region continues to erode with each passing month.
Despite the money being thrown around and a crowd that had reportedly been paid to attend the event, the function attended by senior Kenya Kwanza Alliance leadership, including National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, descended into an uncomfortable spectacle.
Residents turned the gathering into a protest of sorts, repeatedly breaking into loud and defiant chants of “Wantam” that drowned out the proceedings and left the leadership visibly rattled.
“Wantam” is a popular political slang term derived from the English phrase “One Term,” used by citizens and opposition politicians to send a clear message that Ruto will be shown the door after a single term in office come 2027. The chant has become the defining soundtrack of public discontent with the current administration, and its eruption in Bungoma on Friday, right in the faces of Kibet and Wetangula, sent a message that no amount of money can easily silence.
For Farouk Kibet, a man who prides himself on being the president’s fixer and dealmaker in Western Kenya, Friday was a very public reminder that the ground is shifting beneath his feet.
Here is the video of Farouk Kibet being heckled badly in Bungoma County on Friday
https://twitter.com/citynews254/status/2070779372504506596/video/1
