Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has launched a blunt attack on opposition leader Rigathi Gachagua, saying the Mbeere North by-election exposed the collapse of his self-proclaimed grip over Mt Kenya politics.
Speaking at Suneka Catholic Parish in Bonchari, Kisii County, Ruku said voters had delivered a stinging rebuke to leaders who thrive on ethnic dominance and political chest-thumping.
“Gachagua has been installing himself as the Mt Kenya kingpin, but the people have spoken. His kingship is self-made and unsupported. Mbeere North proved that,” he said.
Ruku framed the by-election as a test of Kenya’s political soul, arguing that voters rejected fear-driven mobilisation and chose development over division. “The politics of hatred and division are behind us. Kenya is one nation, and nobody will divide it,” he said.
He accused some leaders of weaponising regional identity for personal gain—an approach he insisted Kenyans were now pushing back against. “People are tired. They want roads, jobs and schools, not noise and constant conflict,” he said.
Ruku praised Mbeere North voters for “political maturity,” saying their choice sent a warning shot to any leader banking on negativity or ethnic agitation to win power. “They sent a message not just to Gachagua but to everyone who thinks intimidation wins votes,” he said.
He urged those who lost the race to join President William Ruto’s administration, calling it a broad-based government open to all. He also warned young people against being used as political weapons, referencing attempts to block polling stations under the guise of “protecting votes.”
