In what can only be described as a major embarrassment to the broad-based government, President William Ruto has been caught transporting hired crowds to his rallies in Muranga County to cheer him on during his Thursday visit.
On Thursday, the head of state kicked off a three-day tour of the Mt. Kenya region, where he was scheduled to launch various development projects in the vote-rich area.
Knowing full well that without Mt. Kenya’s backing in the 2027 presidential election, he is finished politically, the son of Kamagut is working overtime to project the image that he still commands the loyalty of the region that carried him to the presidency in 2022.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has since taken the mantle of the Mt. Kenya region and has vowed to ensure Ruto serves only one term—payback for what he describes as a betrayal of the region and for overseeing his impeachment in October 2024.
With the 2027 presidential election hanging over him like the sword of Damocles, the president is working day and night to create the optics that he remains beloved in Mt Kenya—a region that has repeatedly vowed to send him back to Sugoi.
Mt Kenya is Kenya’s equivalent of Florida in the United States. It is the kingmaker region, the one that ultimately decides who occupies the house on the hill.
Ruto has been desperately trying to make inroads there, but Gachagua, now firmly in the united opposition corner, holds a cult following in the region that is proving difficult to shake.
So on Thursday, rather than rely on genuine local support, Ruto’s handlers allegedly hired crowds from Nairobi—specifically from Dandora, Mathare, and Kayole—and bused them all the way to Muranga to cheer the president and manufacture the appearance of popularity.
Kayole buses and Super Metro buses were reportedly spotted on the Thika Superhighway in the early hours of the morning, ferrying the hired cheering squad upcountry since the president reportedly lacks organic support on the ground.
A video has since emerged showing Ruto’s men hiring buses — including what appear to be school buses — to transport their cheering squads, all in a bid to create the illusion that he is still warmly received in Muranga and across the wider Mt Kenya region.
Watch the video>>>>
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