Ruto's Ukambani tour blurs political lines as Kalonzo allies join

President William Ruto with Kitui governor during the launch of Kwa Siku - Mbondoni road in Kitui county on November 13, 2025. (Philip Muasya, Standard) President William Ruto continued his charm offensive in Ukambani for the second day, with a number of Wiper leaders showing up to accompany him. At Kamuwongo Market in Mwingi North, where the President launched the Kamuwongo-Kandwia road, he was received by Kitui Governor Julius Malombe and area MP Paul Nzengu. The legislator, aware of possible political backlash for associating with the Kenya Kwanza administration, said his decision to welcome the President was driven by the will of his constituents. "My people called and told asked me to come and receive you, that's why I am here today," Nzengu said. Governor Malombe, who accompanied the President to all his four stopovers in Mwingi North, Mwingi West, Kitui South and Kitui East, emphasised that it was time for leaders to focus on service delivery rather than politics. "We welcome and appreciate the development projects brought by the President. We are still working for our people. When the time for campaigns comes, people will be judged by their track record," the governor said at Kwa Siku in Mwingi West, even as he resisted the crowd's pressure to chant the two-term slogan. Ruto's development tour of Ukambani, which began on Wednesday in Makueni County, has stirred political debate after several politicians allied to Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper Party rolled out the red carpet for the Head of State, a stark contrast from previous visits. In Makueni, Ruto traversed Kilome, Kibwezi West, and Makueni constituencies, where Wiper leaders including Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, Senator Daniel Maanzo, Kilome MP Thaddeus Nzambia and Makueni MP Susan Kiamba joined the President. Images of Ruto in the company of Wiper stalwarts quickly went viral, sparking online debate across the region as netizens questioned why Kalonzo's loyalists seemed at ease with Ruto. Aware of the scheduled tour, Kalonzo had earlier urged local leaders to freely host the President, saying the Kamba community deserved development projects regardless of their political affiliation. However, while addressing a crowd in Wote town, Makueni MP Susan Kiamba took on the President directly, accusing him of sidelining Ukambani. "When you look at the employment data in government positions, our numbers are too low. All shortlisted names we receive in Parliament are from other communities," she told the President. In a calculated response, Ruto brushed off the criticism, saying: "It is these people who have said the opposition have no plan or strategy." In Mwingi West, Ruto appeared to revel in the idea of winning over area MP Charles Ngusya Nguna, popularly known as CNN, who recently declared his intention to work closely with the Kenya Kwanza administration.

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Ruto's Ukambani tour blurs political lines as Kalonzo allies join

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