Uhuru ignores Ruto's political duel, laughs off 'sponyo' moniker

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday ignored President William Ruto’s invitation for a political duel after declining to respond to the President’s repeated attacks in which he accuses him of sponsoring the Opposition.

Rather than being combative and issuing a hard-hitting rebuttal against Ruto’s claims that he was bankrolling the Opposition and labelling him a rebel leader, Uhuru chose not to engage the President when he made a rare public appearance yesterday in Murang'a. Instead, he chose to use sarcasm as his response to the President’s unsubstantiated claims.

Speaking at the funeral of Christine Waruguru, mother of George Kariuki, the former Deputy State House Controller held in Kiharu, Murang'a, yesterday, Uhuru deliberately stuck to a written condolence message, saying he had opted against his usual off-the-cuff remarks because “life is becoming quite dangerous” and his words could be misinterpreted.

“And usually I speak off-the-cuff, but these days life is becoming quite dangerous for me, so I have decided before the media goes to misinterpret my words. Let me read what I have prepared,” the Jubilee party leader stated.

But after carefully reading his prepared eulogy, the former president could not resist one unscripted political jab.

“That is all from ‘sponyo’ na tutaonana na kuendelea kuwa pamoja,” Uhuru said, using the colloquial twist on “sponsor” that has featured prominently in Ruto’s repeated accusations that he is financing opposition forces, especially the Edwin Sifuna-led Linda Mwananchi and other groups seeking to challenge the President ahead of the 2027 election.

Additionally, the former President stated that the country had a generation of strong and powerful women who have never been recognised for the role they play in getting the country where it is.

While Uhuru steered away from politics, Jubilee Deputy Party leader Fred Matiang’i accused Ruto of repeatedly lying to Kenyans and insulting his rivals, blaming his upbringing for his political conduct.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro attended the burial ceremony of Christine Waruguru Kariuki in Gikuu village, Kiharu Constituency on September 18. [Courtesy]

“One famous psychologist said many of us as individuals are products of the ecosystem or the environment in which we grow up. There are many of us whose parents will never be met by the public. But through the way we behave and talk, the culture and the ecosystem that brought us up are always seen every day. That is why, honestly, I say that when you see leaders, including national leaders, hurl insults, lie, and say things that don't make sense.  That is a story also about how they grew up,” he said.

Matiang’i went ahead to claim that it was Ruto who Uganda President was referring to when he stated that some middle men from Kenya cheated Uganda through the government-to-government oil deal which he dismissed as government to middle men deal which he said exploited his country for a long time.

‘This morning, my brother and my friend Ndindi Nyoro were enjoying one of those many shows that we enjoy every day. We were listening to one of the leaders in East Africa describing our leaders in Kenya and sitting here, I'm reminded it says the environment that those leaders grew up in,” the Former Interior Cabinet Secretary said.

Museveni on Thursday announced that his administration had been procuring oil from Kenya through cartels in a model christened as a government-to-middlemen deal, saying the country saved millions after changing the model by purchasing directly from bulk suppliers.

“The person who woke me up first was a senator from Kenya. He informed me how the middlemen in Kenya were cheating us. That's how eventually we linked up with people or the bulk suppliers...What we had was government to middlemen and not government to government,” Museveni said.

Before the government-to-government deal between Kenya and Uganda, the Uganda government said it used to get diesel at 118 dollars per metric ton, while under the new model they get the supply at 83 dollars per metric ton.

“For petrol we were at 97.5 dollars per metric ton, but we now get the supply at 61.5; for aviation jet fuel, we originally got it at 114.25 dollars but we get it at 79 dollars per metric ton,” a Ugandan official said.

Matiang’ and Ndindi Nyoro, who accompanied Uhuru at the burial ceremony, accused Ruto of incessant lies and mudslinging, and Uhuru of failing to deliver on his promises to the people.

Nyoro reaffirmed his commitment to improving the country’s situation, which he described as deplorable, while accusing the President of using the Presidency to benefit himself.

Among the proposals he outlined were free primary and secondary education from January 2028, reducing the national debt and improving access to healthcare.

“I have reviewed our country and I understand the challenges. I would want to be a leader who makes decisions that don't benefit me but those that benefit the country. My eyes are beyond 2027: how we shall reduce debt, free education and better the economy and create jobs for the people of Kenya,” he said.

They were responding to Ruto's attacks on Uhuru, where the President has repeatedly accused him of sabotaging his Presidency by ‘sponsoring’ his rivals.

According to Ruto, Uhuru was like a rebel leader who has refused to embrace the role of a statesman.

Welcoming a High Court ruling that barred Kenyatta from holding office in a political party, President Ruto said his former boss had brought shame to the office of the president that he previously occupied.

Ruto, who was leading his re-election campaign in Siaya County on Tuesday, also called on Kenyans to shun opposition leaders, accusing them of playing guesswork with the future of the country

“Mimi nashangaa, mtu ambaye amekuwa Rais wa Kenya, unaacha kiti ya Rais, badala ya kwenda kuwa statesman, unaenda kuwa rebel leader, kiongozi wa upinzani. Mpaka saa hii korti inamwambia atoke,” President Ruto stated.

The President added that Uhuru had disgraced the highest office in the land and accused him of continuing to sponsor the opposition in an effort to destabilise his government.

“Imagine surely hiyo ni aibu kubwa. Na sasa ati amekodesha Orengo hapa, hao watu wa Linda Sponyo. Gavana Orengo awachane na maneno ya Linda Sponyo, kama Uhuru Kenyatta hakunishinda akiwa Rais ataninishinda saa hii kweli?” Ruto posed.

The Former President’s decision to downplay Ruto’s jabs has been interpreted as a strategy by Uhuru to ignore Ruto and refuse to give him fodder to contimue attack him to pave the way for issue-based politics in the Opposition.

“Uhuru was simply telling Ruto that he will only engage in issue-based politics and not personality-based politics that will distract Kenyans from discussing the real issues affecting the country; it was a smart political move of giving the government a blind eye and trying to create a bogeyman in Uhuru,” John Mbuthia said.

He opined that after Uhuru’s dismissal to Ruto’s antics, the President would be discouraged from continuing to continue dragging Uhuru’s on his failure to deliver the pledges he made to Kenyans.