State House rogues: Farouk Kibet and Itumbi calling shots in Ruto government

So powerful are Farouk Kibet and Dennis Itumbi that former Deputy President Rigathi believes that they run State House. [File, Standard] In the hallowed corridors of the State House lurk the powerful but shadowy figures who wield immense power in President William Ruto's administration. So powerful are President Ruto's aide Farouk Kibet and Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua believes that they run State House. Gachagua's stunning claims about the immense powers wielded by the duo during a TV interview validates what some of Ruto's closest allies and Cabinet Secretaries have at times said publicly in jest. According to Gachagua, Kibet was a 'co-President' while Itumbi was Ruto's 'chief propagandist' who controlled the messaging for Cabinet Secretaries and other top government institutions such as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and that the two were the ones controlling the government. Gachagua's allegations followed President Ruto's claims that the impeached DP was petty and that he was engaged in fights with small men such as Itumbi and Farouk and that he spent most of the times solving conflicts between his deputy and junior government officials. Painting a picture of men with unfettered access to the President who yielded huge influence in the day-to-day running of government, Gachagua claimed the Head of State communicates to the Cabinet Secretaries through Kibet who quaked in their boots when they sighted him. He claimed that Kibet tried to take over the management of his office until he realized that he was not only running his office but also demanding and getting money for fixing those who got to see the deputy president. "I went and told Ruto that his personal assistant can't give me instructions. I told him if he (president) wanted to give instructions he do it himself and I would follow to the letter. I told him he(Kibet) was taking advantage of his position to collect money from people to clear appointments," Gachagua said. He added, "I told Kibet not to bring corruption into my office. If he wanted to do that he should go to the President's office and I relayed the same message to the President. According to Gachagua Kibet was like a co-President in the country who ran the government while everybody in the government reported to him. This is not the first time Kibet's undue influence in the Kenya Kwanza administration is being discussed publicly despite him maintaining a shadowy character. Former DP Rigathi Gachagua during an interview with KTN News on Monday. April 7, 2025. [Bernard Owrongo,Standard] In the formative stages of the Kenya Kwanza administration, Gachagua showered Kibet with praises, saying he admired Kibet and that he had expressed a wish to the President to have Kibet work under him, saying he was efficient in his work. "If at any point during the campaigns Farouk appeared to be very strict, I wish to apologise on his behalf. When I requested to have Farouk work with me, the President told me off saying that I should look for my own Farouk. Now I will look for one and have Farouk train him for me," Gachagua said in 2023. He praised Farouk and reiterated that he had contributed immensely to the success of the Kenya Kwanza administration, noting that, "You could remember that we used to say that sisi hatupangwingwi "we cant be managed. But we allowed Farouk to manage us because of the impeccable work he does. He could organise our events meticulously our choppers and the food for our guests. We pride ourselves in him." Those who have interacted with Farouk give mixed reactions and descriptions of him. He is dreaded, loathed, feared and revered. Others describe him as a man who organizes space, while to some, he is a coach who decides who to speak where and what to say. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, at one time fondly described Farouk as a dictator who made many MPs go through troubles to reach his boss'. He said, "He has no office but has a corridor known as a corridor of power that ends at the DP's (referring to Ruto's office when he was the Deputy President). Duale made the remarks in 2018 during the burial of Farouk's father Paul Teigut In a past event organised by Farouk, government allied leaders among them included Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, said "DP Rigathi Gachagua cannot get to President William Ruto without going through Farouk Kibet". In October 2022 Nyoro disclosed that one cannot access the president without the nod of Farouk who he described as swift in coordinating activities whenever the President is about to attend functions. "Huyu mtu anaitwa Farouk ni mtu wa maana sana. Na watu wanasikianga Farouk wanafikiria ni mtu utapata ako na ofisi floor moja kwa ofisi ya Rais (Farouk is a very important person. Many people hear of him and think he has an office at the office of the President)," he said. "Ofisi ya Farouk ni ile ya Rais wetu wa Kenya. Kwa sababu huwezi fikia Rais Farouk akisema no. Ata huyu deputy President rafiki yangu kufikia yeye (Ruto) Farouk lazima aseme yes (Farouk's office is that of the President of Kenya. Because you can't access the president if Farouk says no. Even the deputy president who is my friend to reach him Farouk must say yes)," he added, seemingly in jest. Itumbi said: "Farouk Kibet is a good man. Effective. Organises the space. Absolutely Smart! You do not survive around (William Samoei Ruto) WSR all those years if you are anything less. Tough - Yes. Firm - Yes. Effective - Yes. But most importantly, he thinks beyond the boardroom. Two months ago, a video emerged of Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki being pushed by Farouk towards President Ruto at Ngeria TTC in Kapseret. Farouk was seen pushing Kindiki to go behind the President and join him when he was dancing with Kalenjin community dancers. Moments before the action, Farouk could be seen the video whispering something to the second in command. In Ruto's North Eastern region tour, a video of Farouk trended across the social media platforms showing him cutting off mid-speech of Mandera Mohamed Adan and instructed the Governor to hand over the microphone to the area MP, Hussein Weytan. During the KTN exclusive interview, Gachagua also named Itumbi as one other person who was controlling the messaging of Ruto's administration. He claimed Itumbi shaped public messaging and writing official statements on behalf of ministers and agencies, and that he used to interrupt his meetings with the President especially when the President was not comfortable with a certain debate. "Itumbi is also not a small man. All the statements you see Cabinet Secretaries release even the one by DCI on the Mwiki violence, it's Itumbi who writes them. He crafts, they read," he said. He added, "When I was having a private meeting with the President and the President was not comfortable with the subject matter, he used to text Itumbi, who would appear from nowhere and inform the President to leave for another engagement. He tried to control me but I refused and informed them that I had a fully fledged communication department." While Kibet was unavailable to respond to offer his side of the story to as calls and messages to his mobile phone went unanswered. Itumbi dismissed Gachagua as disoriented and a man who was chasing his own shadow. "The impeached Deputy President deserves no response. He's a man chasing his own shadow in the darkness, disoriented, pitiable, yet strangely fascinating to watch as he is playing chess with lying bottle tops and calling it a masterstroke. The truth is facts: File a restraining order on him every time he opens his mouth. He lies on broken high heels. As for the specifics, I'll have my day, someday. Proverbs 26:4 guides me. The Bible verse that Itumbi offered reads in part. "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him". It advises against engaging in foolish arguments or responding to foolishness in kind, as doing so can make you appear foolish as well."

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