EMBU, Kenya- President William Ruto has dismissed claims that any individual was responsible for delivering the Mt Kenya vote to him during the 2022 General Election, insisting that he personally campaigned across the region and directly sought the support of its residents.
Speaking during a Sunday service at the Full Gospel Church in Gatunduri, Embu County, the President said voters backed his presidential bid because of the development agenda he presented during his campaign tours, not because of the influence of any single political leader.
Although he did not mention former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua by name, Ruto’s remarks appeared to respond to repeated claims by his former deputy that he played a decisive role in rallying Mt Kenya voters behind the Kenya Kwanza coalition in the 2022 election.
“I came here and asked you to vote for me, and you did. Do you remember? You saw me looking for votes here, in your churches, and I asked you to pray for me, and you gave me your votes,” Ruto told the congregation.
The President said it was inaccurate for some leaders to suggest they single-handedly convinced the people of Mt Kenya to support his candidature.
“But I hear some people arrogantly saying that they are the ones who asked you to vote for me. They are implying that I did not come to ask for votes in Embu and that they are the ones who looked for votes for me.”
Ruto maintained that the people of Embu made an independent decision after engaging with his campaign message.
“You voted for me, Embu people, because I asked you to do that and we agreed that we will work together.”
He urged political leaders to avoid what he described as arrogance and instead focus on serving wananchi and delivering on campaign commitments.
“Some people should stop being arrogant. I came here, talked to people, and we agreed on what we needed to do.”
The President said his administration remains focused on implementing the promises made during the campaign and expressed confidence that Kenyans would assess his leadership based on tangible results.
“Come next year, we will come to take stock of what we have achieved. We will have a test.”
Highlighting his administration’s record, Ruto said the government had reduced the cost of fertiliser, implemented reforms aimed at improving coffee farmers’ earnings and significantly increased investment in education.
“We talked about agriculture, you know, the price of fertiliser now, it has reduced. We talked about improving coffee prices, which we have done.”
He added that the government has recruited 100,000 teachers over the past four years and increased the education budget from Sh500 billion in 2022 to Sh734 billion in the current financial year.
The President’s remarks come amid continued political exchanges between him and Gachagua over the outcome of the 2022 presidential election and the influence of Mt Kenya in Kenya’s political landscape.
Since leaving office as Deputy President, Gachagua has repeatedly argued that he traversed the region extensively during the campaign period and played a central role in mobilising support for the Kenya Kwanza alliance.