Mathira MP: Ruto’s Mt Kenya tour is developmental, not political

Mathira Member of Parliament Eric Wamumbi says President William Ruto’s tour of the Mount Kenya region is not political but purely development-related.

Ruto kicked off his five-day tour of the vote-rich region on Tuesday amid speculation on his reception in the wake of hostile political rhetoric by local leaders critical of his administration, especially since former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was impeached in October.

But on Tuesday, the President received a rousing reception in Laikipia and Nyeri, with locals seemingly embracing his visit.

Wamumbi, whose constituency Gachagua hails from, praised the visit, saying Ruto was not interested in playing political games but was out to monitor his government’s development performance since taking office in September 2022.

“This was clearly a development visit; we saw him commission tens of projects. We are not doing politics… when the time for politics comes, we will do it. People, especially Nyeri residents, have agreed that what they need for now is development,” the MP told Citizen TV’s Daybreak program on Wednesday.

He defended Ruto against those arguing that whatever the President is doing during his tour can be done by leaders of relevant authorities in charge of the projects.

“The buck stops at him. It is his responsibility as CEO, and it is important that he inspects them himself,” said Wamumbi, adding that Ruto has always shown interest in monitoring the status of projects under his docket.

On Tuesday, Ruto launched several projects in the two counties, including affordable housing projects, markets worth over a billion shillings, and a Ksh.720 million rural electrification project in Laikipia County.

He also pledged more connectivity to 10,000 households in Nyeri County.

Gachagua had earlier on Monday accused his former boss of what he called riding on his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta’s old projects.

He told a roadside rally at Wangige in Kiambu County that Ruto was a perpetual liar and urged locals to ignore his rhetoric.