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Ichung’wa to Uhuru: Heal and move on
What you need to know:
- “He has never healed from the fact that the deputy president he worked day and night to stop from becoming president became president.
In a blistering critique that lays bare the unresolved scars of the 2022 election, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa has accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of failing to rise to the stature of a statesman, arguing that his continued involvement in day-to-day politics diminishes the moral authority that should come with retirement from power.
Mr Ichung’wah faults Mr Kenyatta of failing to transition from partisan combatant to national statesman and allowing the trauma of the 2022 election defeat to define his post-presidency politics.
In a wide-ranging interview with NTV, Mr Ichung’wa paints a picture of a former Head of State trapped in unresolved personal battles, unable — or unwilling — to accept that the deputy president (William Ruto) he once worked tirelessly to block from ascending to the presidency not only won, but is now shaping Kenya’s development agenda.
“When you have had the honour to serve as President for 10 years and retire, that elevates you to another level — the level of a statesman,” Mr Ichung’wa says.
“But unfortunately, when I look at President Uhuru Kenyatta, I see a man who is there to heal from the loss of the 2022 elections.”
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah.
That failure to heal, Mr Ichung’wah argues, has reduced the stature of an office meant to command moral authority beyond the fray of daily politics, and has placed Kenya at risk of perpetual elite quarrels at a time when unity and focus are urgently needed.
Uhuru: Ruto wants to buy ODM
On Tuesday, during the burial of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo at Lumakanda in Kakamega county, Mr Kenyatta hit at his successor, President Ruto, over the late ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM party and claims that the Jubilee leader was out to “buy” ODM.
Mr Kenyatta also questioned what he described as a plan by the ruling Kenya Kwanza government to muzzle the multiparty democracy space and “kill” political parties.
The former president maintained that he would fight for his political space despite having retired, and cautioned against the folding of political parties to form coalitions, noting that this was against the spirit of multiparty politics.
“I am retired, but that does not mean you can come and poke me in the eye. We have no fear of keeping quiet, but respect us. We support a vibrant democracy and the will of the people. We are supporters of multiparty democracy and are building ours. Now, some are telling us we want to steal from other parties. This is a case of someone who has failed to convince those he seeks to work with and is now looking at us for scapegoats,” said Mr Kenyatta.
Mr Kenyatta was speaking days after ODM leaders, in two rallies attended by President Ruto in Homa Bay on Sunday and Migori on Saturday, accused him of plotting to “buy” the Orange party, now led by Mr Odinga’s elder brother, Dr Oburu Oginga. The faction is seen as keen on steering the party towards President Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election.
ODM chairperson Gladys Wanga and the National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, speaking at the two events attended by Dr Ruto, fingered Mr Kenyatta over what they said were night meetings to plot ODM’s exit from the broad-based government deal inked by Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga in March 2025.
ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga and National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohamed.
At the funeral on Tuesday, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna however, sought to apologise to Mr Kenyatta.
“On behalf of the ODM party, let me take this opportunity to apologize to Your Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta over the attacks that have been directed at you by some of our members,” Mr Sifuna said.
But in his interview with NTV, Mr Ichung’wa situates his critique on Mr Kenyatta within a broader vacuum created by the death of Raila Odinga, whom he credits with having risen above partisan politics to assume the role of an African statesman and elder.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta is our fourth president and the only surviving former president of this country,” he says. “He is the father figure we should all be looking up to. Unfortunately, we lost Raila Odinga, who had taken that stature not just in Kenya, but across the region.”
In Mr Ichung’wa’s view, that responsibility now rests squarely with Mr Kenyatta — a responsibility he believes the former president has declined by remaining deeply enmeshed in political intrigues, alliances and rivalries.
“That continuous involvement in day-to-day politics reduces the stature that he ought to hold,” he says, adding that Kenya’s democracy needs former leaders who can rise above succession battles and serve as unifying reference points when politics threatens national cohesion.
Kenyatta-Ruto fallout
Then-President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and his then-Deputy William Ruto.
At the heart of Mr Ichung’wa’s critique lies the bitter fallout between Mr Kenyatta and President Ruto — a relationship that imploded during Mr Kenyatta’s second term and culminated in one of the most bruising political divorces in Kenya’s history.
“He made his fight with William Ruto too personal,” Mr Ichung’wa says.
“He has never healed from the fact that the deputy president he worked day and night to stop from becoming president became president.”
That reality, he argues, has shaped Mr Kenyatta’s post-retirement conduct, with the former president allegedly expending energy not on reconciliation or mentorship, but on undermining his successor.
Mr Ichung’wa insists that President Ruto, despite the hostility he faced as deputy president, chose magnanimity over revenge after winning power.
“I thank God that President William Ruto never became vindictive,” he says, recalling what he describes as intimidation, political persecution and even killings linked to the 2022 campaign. “Had he been vindictive, we would not have a country today.”
The Majority Leader reveals that he personally advised President Ruto to reach out to Mr Kenyatta in the spirit of national healing, arguing that Kenya faced too many structural and economic challenges to afford leadership working at cross-purposes.
“For heavy lifting to be done, you need all hands on deck,” he says.
“The President did reach out — not just to the former president, but also to Raila Odinga — to move the country forward.”
Yet one year on, that goodwill appears to have dissipated, with Mr Kenyatta now trading barbs — directly and indirectly — with leaders aligned to the broad-based government, particularly within ODM.
The interview also touched on calls for constitutional amendments and the possibility of a referendum before the 2027 General Election — proposals floated by senior government figures, including Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
While acknowledging the legitimacy of concerns around boundary delimitation and governance gaps, Mr Ichung’wa cautions against rushing into constitutional changes that could polarise the country.
“I am very focused on the road to Singapore,” he says, borrowing President Ruto’s metaphor for Kenya’s economic transformation. “I don’t think adding a seventh ballot in 2027 is wise.”
