NAKURU, Kenya — The United Opposition has hit back at President William Ruto over his claims that they are motivated by political greed, saying the Head of State is unsettled by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s warm reception in Nyanza, which they argue has complicated his political arithmetic.
Speaking during the burial of Terry Kariuki, the widow of the late freedom hero J.M. Kariuki, at Kanyamwe Farm in Gilgil, Nakuru County, the opposition leaders accused the President of being “confused” and out of touch with the shifting political mood across the country.
“Huyu Kasongo niliona akilia anasema kuna wanaume watano wamekutana kugawa serikali. Amechanganyikiwa tangu aende Bondo kulia machozi ya uongo, familia ya Mama Ida ikasema Kalonzo anatambuliwa — sasa amechanganyikiwa,” Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua said, referring to Ruto’s recent remarks in Bondo.
The leaders dismissed the President’s assertion that they are seeking power for personal gain, saying their main goal is to remove him from office.
“Hao wanaume na mama mmoja wanakutana kupanga vile utaenda nyumbani. Kazi yetu ni kukutoa serikalini, tutapanga baadaye,” Gachagua added.
DAP-K Party leader Eugene Wamalwa dismissed reports that a section of the opposition was in talks with the government, terming them “State-sponsored propaganda.”
“Wengine wanasema that the President wants to speak to us. If you want to speak to us, you must do so through our spokesperson,” he said.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka used the occasion to call for the addressing of historical injustices, including political assassinations that have scarred Kenya’s post-independence history. “The injustices that the family of J.M. Kariuki and other families faced must be addressed. We must deal with historical injustices,” he said.
The family of the late J.M. Kariuki eulogised Terry Kariuki as a woman of strong principle and compassion who carried her husband’s legacy with dignity.
President Ruto, speaking a day earlier, had accused the opposition of lacking a development agenda, saying they “specialise in division, tribal talk, and hatred” and cannot envision Kenya’s transition from a Third World to a First World nation. He insisted that his administration has a clear plan for national transformation and resource mobilisation.
