Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has responded calmly but pointedly to President William Ruto’s public attack on him, signalling that far from retreating, he intends to dive deeper into active politics and will exercise his right as a Kenyan citizen to back the presidential candidate of his choice in 2027.
The exchange was sparked by Ruto’s remarks in Siaya County on Tuesday during his five-day development tour of Luo Nyanza, where the President launched an unusually personal and emotional attack on his predecessor, accusing him of abandoning the dignity expected of a former head of state and instead choosing to become a rebel leader bankrolling the opposition.
“Mimi nashangaa, mtu ambaye amekuwa Rais wa Kenya, unaacha kiti ya Rais, badala ya kwenda kuwa statesman, unaenda kuwa rebel leader, kiongozi wa upinzani. Mpaka saa hii korti inamwambia atoke,” Ruto said, referencing the High Court decision that had barred Uhuru from continuing to lead the Jubilee Party.
Ruto did not stop there. He accused Uhuru of disgracing the highest office in the land and of sponsoring opposition activities in a calculated effort to destabilise his government, naming Siaya Governor James Orengo and the Linda Mwananchi movement in the same breath.
“Imagine surely hiyo ni aibu kubwa. Na sasa ati amekodesha Orengo hapa, hao watu wa Linda Sponyo. Gavana Orengo awachane na maneno ya Linda Sponyo, kama Uhuru Kenyatta hakunishinda akiwa Rais ataninishinda saa hii kweli?” Ruto posed, with the defiant tone of a man trying to project confidence while watching his political ground shrink beneath him.
Uhuru’s response, delivered through his communications aide Kanze Dena, was measured but unmistakably firm. The former President said he welcomed the High Court’s decision on the Jubilee Party leadership matter and made clear that he would now engage in active politics like any other Kenyan, including using his democratic right to choose and support a presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 election.
The message was simple and deliberate. Ruto’s rant has not silenced Uhuru. If anything, it appears to have sharpened his resolve to be more visible and more involved in the political battles that lie ahead. For a President who has been struggling to consolidate support across the country, provoking a former president into becoming a more active opponent may turn out to be one of the least strategic moves of his tenure.
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