President William Ruto on Sunday appeared to have settled on Prof Kithure Kindiki as his preferred running mate for the 2027 presidential race, as he walks a tightrope in negotiations with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) over a possible pre-election coalition.
During his tour of Murang’a on Friday and Saturday, the President, while addressing residents, implied that Prof Kindiki “anatosha” (is up to the task).
In a veiled endorsement of his deputy for the position, an issue that has proved contentious in his negotiations with ODM, the President asked a crowd:
“Huyu Profesa anatosha hastoshi? Si anajua kupanga kazi ndio tusonge pamoja?” (Is he fit for the job or not? Doesn’t he know how to organise work so that we move forward together?), he posed.
He went on to heap praise on Prof Kindiki, saying his deputy “anajua kupanga maendeleo, hana hasira wala kisirani” (he knows how to plan development and is neither irritable nor combative).
While addressing residents in Chuka town on Sunday, the President urged his deputy to remain steadfast in the face of criticism.
“I urge my deputy not to be deterred by opponents who demean and insult him. One day, they will seek a chance to pay their respects, but they will have lost the opportunity. The leaders who have been demeaning the Deputy President cannot match his intellect. He is 100 times wiser than them. He is the Deputy President by the grace of God,” he said.
President William Ruto addresses congregants during a Sunday church service at the Presbyterian Teachers College, Rubate, in Tharaka Nithi County on April 26, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
This comes even as the President intensified his political onslaught against his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of stifling the democratic rights and freedoms of Mt Kenya residents.
President Ruto criticised Mr Gachagua stopping short of calling him a dictator saying he was “worse than colonialists and slave traders.”
He reiterated that he would not bow to political pressure from the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader, whom he accused of attempting to exert control over parts of the country.
Speaking at Rubate Teachers College in Tharaka-Nithi, Dr Ruto urged Kenyans to choose leaders based on their track record and vision rather than political rhetoric.
He was accompanied by Prof Kindiki, Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire and Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, among others.
“We have leaders who believe they know it all and that they control our lives. In the past, we had slave traders and colonialists, but they had some restraint. Some leaders today have exceeded even them,” he said.
He maintained that he is working to unite the country through equitable development, regardless of voting patterns.
“He wanted to control all aspects of our lives deciding who meets whom, who goes to State House, and even what you eat and drink. If you don’t comply, you are branded a sellout. He has outdone slave traders and colonialists,” Dr Ruto said.
The President stressed that no one would bar him from performing his duties anywhere in the country.
“He has gone as far as demanding that I kneel before him. I can only kneel before God. I want to assure the people of Mt Kenya that there will be no slave masters in Kenya. No one can replace the sovereignty of the people,” he said.
President William Ruto addresses Chuka residents and updated them on the progress of their counties and national development after handing over the newly-built Chuka Modern Market, Tharaka Nithi County on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
Dr Ruto also said Prof Kindiki had outperformed him during his own tenure as Deputy President under Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We couldn’t have a better Deputy President than Prof Kithure Kindiki. He is not arrogant. In the short time we have worked together, he has done better than I did as Deputy President. He has strongly supported our vision for Kenya,” he said.
Prof Kindiki, on his part, accused his predecessor of imposing himself as the region’s kingpin without delivering tangible results.
“You don’t declare yourself a kingpin your work earns you respect. This region has produced three presidents, but none went around declaring themselves king of the mountain. A tiger does not declare its ‘tigritude’,” he said.
President Ruto further dismissed his opponents as lacking a track record but rich in insults and arrogance.
While warning against electing arrogant leaders, he said: “Every leader should be judged by their track record, the work they are doing, and their vision for the country.”
He reiterated his commitment to addressing national challenges through both popular and difficult policy and legislative reforms.
“In this country, we have a problem with the blame game and leaders who avoid responsibility. I am on the frontline solving problems. I urge others to be part of the solution,” he said.
He cited subsidised fertiliser, the rollout of the Social Health Authority, reforms in higher education funding, and the recruitment of more teachers among his administration’s key achievements.
“My mission is to transform this country. If we focus only on the next election, we will achieve nothing. Our focus must be on the next generation,” President Ruto said.
The President later handed over the Sh300 million Chuka Modern Market and pledged that the government would soon complete and commission nine more markets.
