This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
On August 28, 2019, a heated debate on live TV pitted two politicians who are also doctors against each other over the mental state of Deputy President William Ruto.
Dr. Bonny Khalwale, the former Senator for Kakamega County, clashed with Dr. Eseli Simiyu, the Tongaren MP, after Simiyu claimed that Ruto is suffering from Megalomania.
According to Simiyu, Ruto's opposition to the Building Bridges Initiative can be attributed to megalomania, a condition where a person suffers from a mental disorder where they think they are important, while they are not.
However, Khalwale, who specializes in gynecology, accused Simiyu of insulting DP Ruto, saying that the condition is not limited to a mental disorder.
“There might be a few ways Dr. Eseli is attempting to insult the deputy president by saying he suffers from megalomania. This is a condition where a person suffers from a mental condition where he or she thinks is important, while he is not. For your information, the DP is a powerful person who exercises a lot of power under the new constitution,” Khalwale said.
Simiyu responded by accusing Khalwale of misleading viewers by failing to define megalomania adequately, saying that intellectuals do not do that.
Former Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo also joined the debate, telling Khalwale to debate in layman's terms instead of using his medical training to confuse Kenyans.
“The simple meaning of megalomania is an obsession with the exercise of power. Khalwale is using the medical definition – in line with his training but there is nothing abusive,” Midiwo said in defense of Simiyu.
