Wambugu backs Ruto in dispute with Uhuru over loyalty

Former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu/HandoutFormer Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has backed President William Ruto in his public dispute with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, arguing that Ruto has a stronger case in the disagreement over political loyalty.

Wambugu, who is allied to the Jubilee Party, said on Tuesday that Ruto had supported Uhuru in presidential elections, making Uhuru’s decision to back the late Raila Odinga in the 2022 presidential election difficult to defend.

His remarks came a day after Ruto accused Uhuru of betraying him despite years of political cooperation, claiming he had supported the retired president’s presidential ambitions four times.

“I, William Ruto, voted for you four times. I stood with you when you began your journey to seek leadership. I stood with you in 2013. I stood with you in 2017. You said 10 years of Uhuru, 10 years of Ruto,” said Ruto on Monday.

Speaking during a radio interview and in a statement, Wambugu argued that Ruto had a legitimate grievance against Uhuru, whom he accused of abandoning his former deputy when their political interests diverged.

“Yap. I said it. Uhuru can’t win this one,” Wambugu declared.

He recalled that Ruto had stood by Uhuru, including periods when other political leaders, among them retired President Mwai Kibaki, opposed Uhuru’s political ambitions.

Wambugu also pointed to the 10 years Ruto served as Uhuru’s Deputy President, arguing that the arrangement demonstrated Uhuru’s confidence in him.

“Uhuru kept Ruto as his Deputy President for 10 years. During that period, Uhuru was basically telling us that if anything had happened to him, he was happy to leave us and the country in Ruto’s hands,” Wambugu said.

Wambugu claimed Uhuru turned against Ruto after concluding that he no longer needed him politically.

He cited Uhuru’s decision to support Raila in the 2022 presidential election as an example of the breakdown in their political relationship.

Wambugu maintained that Uhuru would struggle to win the argument over loyalty, regardless of public dissatisfaction with Ruto’s leadership.

“What he did is genuinely ungrateful and deceitful,” he said, adding that he and others had privately urged the former president to reconsider his position.

Wambugu further challenged Uhuru to step back from the political confrontation, arguing that his dealings with Ruto had weakened his credibility among those seeking to challenge the current administration.

“Uhuru awachane tu na Ruto. Let him allow us to fight Ruto without the baggage his insincerity brings to this conversation,” he said.