This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
Waiguru and DP Ruto's Alliance Falls Apart ¶
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru and Deputy President William Ruto's alliance turned sour, with the two leaders engaging in a public feud. The rift began after Waiguru was ranked as the second most corrupt politician in a poll conducted by IPSOS in August 2018.
Waiguru threatened to sue the research firm, claiming she had never been charged in a court of law over loss of public funds. She said, 'I will say to IPSOS: Shame on you. Shame on you for pushing an agenda that you know very well is political. I have never been taken to court because of any matter regarding corruption.'
DP Ruto, however, rubbished the study, calling it 'injili ya shetani' (devil's gospel). He claimed that the poll was funded by political rivals to influence the 2022 succession debate.
The two leaders had previously appeared together at various events, including a thanksgiving ceremony and the Devolution Conference. Waiguru had even expressed her support for DP Ruto's 2022 State House bid, saying, 'We already have a president for 2022, who is William Ruto. We as Central Kenya are standing with Ruto.'
However, their alliance began to crumble in July 2019, when DP Ruto was absent from Waiguru's wedding. The disquiet between the two leaders seemed to have boiled over in September 2019, when DP Ruto tweeted, 'We supported and voted for Uhuru to succeed Kibaki not b'cos of ethnicity but COMPETENCE.'
Waiguru and DP Ruto's feud has left many wondering what went wrong between the two leaders. The answer may lie in their differing views on the 2022 succession debate.
Interestingly, Kirinyaga Woman Rep Wangui Ngirici, who has been on the receiving end of Waiguru's woes, has stuck out like a sore thumb. The Deputy President was even caught up in a vicious political supremacy contest between the two county leaders in April 2019.
