Nyandarua Senator John Methu says he approaches his politics from three main considerations: personal conviction, roots and national good.
He says that if you go against any of those three, he will not show you love, even if you come armed to the teeth seeking to coerce him.
“I am Methu, an adult of sound mind and with my own convictions. I have my roots, and I serve in a national house called the Senate. We can be friends if you know how to respect those three spheres of my life,” he holds.
Methu argues that he is only free to reason with you if you first treat him as a man qualified to hold a position, you respect those who voted for him, and then you exhibit evidence of being virtuous.
Methu used to be one of the most ardent defenders of President William Ruto as they campaigned ahead of the 2022 General Election. This was until their fallout in 2024 after the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua as the Deputy President.
Known for his long “unkempt” black hair and beard, he insists that he is the true reflection of a liberator who draws his inspiration from freedom fighters, especially those who were allied to the Mau Mau resistance.
It is perhaps in displaying those attributes that Methu, 35, tackled President Ruto, 60, as if he were dealing with a colonial soldier when they met on Wednesday during the memorial service for Ol Kalou MP David Kiaraho.
“Mr President, I respect you as head of state, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and as a parent since your children are my age mates. But I do not fear you,” he said.
He went ahead to portray the President as a leader who lies too much to the people of Nyandarua, highlighting several unfulfilled development promises.
Besides inspiring the printing of T-shirts emblazoned “I respect you, but I do not fear you”, the move has earned Methu both praise and condemnation, especially in Mt Kenya. Those who support opposition politics say Methu represented and united them, seeing him as a verbal hero.
On the other hand, those who support President Ruto insist that the senator exhibited bad manners, with Gatundu North MP Elijah Njoroge dismissing him as “a radical man in a causeless rebellion”.
Nyandarua County Senator John Muhia Methu during the press conference at Parliament buildings Nairobi on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Radio personality Kamau Munyua immediately dedicated a commentary to advise Methu that “the man you say you do not fear is no joke”.
Methu hit back, saying the politics of liberation is hard for simpletons to understand. He posited that those who worship idols are free to sing love songs to those in power.
A graduate of political science from Pwani University, he had unsuccessfully contested the Nyandarua Senate seat in 2017 on the Maendeleo Chap Chap party but was appointed the Nyandarua County assembly speaker’s personal assistant. His senate bid went through in 2022.
President William Ruto, his Deputy Kithure Kindiki, Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetangula, other leaders arrive at Captain grounds in Ol Kalou during a requiem mass for area MP David Kiaraho on April 8, 2026. (inset) Former DP Rigathi Gachagua and Nyandarua Senator John Methu.
Known for his oratory wit, and at one time making President Ruto laugh wholeheartedly due to his banter, the youthful senator has transformed from a friend to a political quinine. Appreciating his performance, Gachagua said Methu was a true son of the Mountain who acts as his assistant when he is out of the country.
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