Mt. Kenya angry about Gachagua’s ouster, not Gov't performance - CS Mbadi

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has come out in defence of President William Ruto's administration, claiming that residents of the Mt. Kenya region are no longer complaining about the government's performance but are instead aggrieved by the removal of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from office.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV's JKLive on Wednesday night, Mbadi defended the government's spending priorities as captured in the Finance Bill 2026, saying the Treasury had channelled resources to sectors that directly impact livelihoods, particularly agriculture.

He argued that the government's interventions in key agricultural sectors had addressed concerns that previously dominated the region.

"Today, I don't hear people from Mlima (Mt. Kenya) complaining about tea, coffee or milk. They are complaining about being betrayed. So how were they betrayed? They say Wamunyoro (Gachagua) has been removed from office. If you have heard them complain about tea, tell me. If you have heard them complain about coffee, tell me,” he said.

"We have set our priorities right. We have provided money where it should be, including for agriculture. We have allocated Ksh.19.1 billion for the fertiliser subsidy programme, Ksh.2.7 billion for sugar reforms, and funding to support the tea and coffee sectors."

Mbadi compared Ruto’s administration with that of his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, asserting that majority of the people from the Mountain region were disgruntled by the latter’s neglect of the agricultural sector.

According to the Treasury CS, the coffee sector has begun recovering under the current administration, despite acknowledging it had not yet returned to its peak.

"We have revived the coffee sector," Mbadi said after show host Jeff Koinange observed that the industry was "not as it used to be."

"Remember, before President Uhuru left office, what problem did he have with the people from Mlima? They said he had neglected tea, coffee and milk, and they also talked about stalled roads,” Mbado stated, adding that the conversation in the region has since shifted.

"Where do you live? Coffee has been revived in this country. It's a fact. It's not yet where it used to be, but it will get there. Coffee used to be Kenya's number one export earner, and we will go back there, unless other sectors overtake it."

He further cited reforms in other agricultural value chains, including edible oils and avocado farming, as evidence of the government's broader efforts to revitalise the sector.

"We have also started revamping the edible oil sub-sector. Look at what is happening in that space. You just covered a story on avocado. These things don't just happen.,” he noted.

Mbadi also credited the fertiliser subsidy programme for improving food security, saying the country had avoided maize shortages witnessed in previous years.

"For a long period now, we have not had shortages of maize in this country. That didn't just happen. The fertiliser subsidy programme was not being implemented in the previous administration, but today a lot is happening," he said.