Kimani Ichung’wa heckled during President Ruto’s visit to Juja
By Simon Ciuri
A presidential development tour in Kiambu that was meant to be a precursor forum to rally voters into the ruling party ahead of the 2027 General Election turned into a charged political rally, where President William Ruto’s key allies faced a hostile audience.
Dr Ruto’s key pointman and confidant, Kimani Ichung’wah, who is the Kikuyu Member of Parliament and National Assembly Majority Leader, faced a charged crowd at Thika Stadium, who booed him down and forced him to end his speech.
Mr Ichung’wah told the Head of State that the people who were booing him are part of a group that has been opposing developments in Kiambu, and alluded that the said individuals were misinforming locals that the intended development projects are part of a larger plot to grab public land.
But in a swift rejoinder, Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, when he rose to speak, told President Ruto that at no time had he opposed government projects since they are public-oriented and seek to benefit the local community.
“I am not opposing any development. Let no one lie to you,” Mr Wamatangi said.
President Ruto, who seemed irked by the hostility and public exchange between politicians allied to his party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), noted that no one has the power to block development, maintaining that he is the Head of State.
He admitted there are tense politics in Kiambu with stiff competition, but did not go into details.
“I can see there is stiff competition in Kiambu. No one can block development because it is the right of the people and I am the President of Kenya,” President Ruto said.
But even with this, drama continued to unfold as more allies of President Ruto stood to speak.
Alice Ng’ang’a faces hostile crowd
Outspoken politician Alice Ng’ang’a, who is the Thika Town Member of Parliament and who has declared her ambition to vie for the Kiambu gubernatorial seat, also faced a hostile crowd. Kiambu Woman Representative Ann Wamuratha and Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina were not spared either.
At Juja Constituency, where Mr Ruto opened the Nyacaba Affordable Housing project and was hosted by area Member of Parliament George Koimburi, who recently shifted his political allegiance from the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) to the ruling party that he used to ascend to power in the 2022 General Election, Mr Koimburi told locals that he decided to back Mr Ruto so that he can secure a second term in the upcoming presidential polls set for August next year.
At Thika town, where he launched the construction and expansion of the Sh900 million Thika Stadium, Dr Ruto took a swipe at his political rivals.
Without mentioning names, the Head of State said those pointing fingers at the government over alleged corruption are the biggest thieves and profiteers, citing the Ruaraka land saga, a multi-billion scam where senior government officials allegedly pocketed billions in a land transaction deal where payments were made without proper checks.
“They are the biggest thieves. They stole Ruaraka land and I won’t allow you to mislead people through tribal politics,” Dr Ruto said.
The Head of State said that the new Thika Stadium will have a 10,000 seating capacity and should be completed by December this year. He termed it a viable sports investment that would nurture talent.
Kiambu is one of the most important political counties in Kenya when you look at the presidential voting pattern of the 2022 General Election, where President Ruto and his deputy, now impeached, Rigathi Gachagua, got close to 1.3 million presidential votes.
Since then, Kiambu has been a battleground, especially for any presidential candidate, where each tries to build strong and influential alliances to sway the huge voting bloc to their side.
