With the August 2027 general election barely a year away, President William Ruto is facing a fresh rebellion from within his own political base.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has given the government a three‑day deadline to arrest nominated legislator Joseph Wainaina and Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale over alleged hate speech, warning that failure to act will trigger a mass defection of Mt Kenya leaders who have so far backed the President.
The dispute was ignited by a widely circulated video in which Wainaina appeared to tell Kikuyu residents in Uasin Gishu to leave the county if they do not support Ruto’s re‑election bid.
The nominated MP has since insisted that his remarks were twisted and that he abhors ethnic incitement. Duale, for his part, has previously been accused of making inflammatory comments about Somali and Kikuyu communities, an allegation he has also denied.
Speaking on Monday, Wamuchomba accused state agencies of practising double standards, arguing that ordinary citizens are swiftly arrested for similar utterances while political heavyweights allied to the executive enjoy total impunity.
She painted a grim picture of a country drifting towards chaos, adding that the escalating ethnic rhetoric threatens to tear the nation apart if left unchecked.
She admitted that she had once believed in Ruto’s leadership and felt duty‑bound to advise him, but her optimism has since faded as his allies continue to stoke ethnic tensions.
Her ultimatum now places the President in a tight spot, with just three days to act before a significant chunk of his Mt Kenya support base walks away on the eve of the 2027 polls.