Political decency abandoned as leaders resort to harsh remarks and cheeky nicknames

• Political leaders are reducing their opponents to memorable labels while trading abrasive accusations at rallies.
• Increasingly bitter exchanges between President Ruto and his opponents, raise a bigger question about the standards of leadership.
• The central question is whether the conduct of the political leaders reflect the restraint, responsibility and accountability expected of holders of the highest offices.

Kenya's political discourse is acquiring an increasingly colourful vocabulary, with leaders reducing their opponents to memorable labels while trading abrasive accusations at rallies and public gatherings.

But as the name-calling gathers momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, a more serious concern is emerging on whether such politics is becoming a convenient distraction from the questions of governance, accountability and service delivery that Kenyans expect their leaders to address.

For example, the increasingly bitter exchanges between President William Ruto and his opponents, led by his estranged former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, raise a bigger question about the standards of leadership, public responsibility and accountability expected of leaders.

From accusations of extortion, dishonesty and tribalism to colourful descriptions of opponents’ abilities and political relevance, observers say, the exchanges have steadily lowered the level of political discourse while raising temperatures as the country approaches the 2027 General Election.

But beyond the entertainment value, the central question is whether the conduct of the political leaders reflect the restraint, responsibility and accountability expected of current, future and former holders of the country’s highest offices.

For Kenyans grappling with the cost of living, unemployment, taxation, public debt and strained public services, the spectacle, observers say, raises a more fundamental concern about when political leaders will move beyond personal confrontations and account for the issues affecting the people they seek to lead.

The latest exchanges unfolded during President Ruto’s three-day tour of the Gusii region, where he accused Mr Gachagua [without providing any proof] of extorting businesspeople, governors and aspirants seeking political positions through his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).

At a rally in Kitutu Masaba, Nyamira County, on Monday, the President questioned the integrity of his former deputy branded his former deputy and the conduct of his DCP party towards aspirants, who are supposedly promised political favours at a price.

He also noted that Mr Gachagua’s behaviour contributed to his impeachment and removal from office in October 2024.

Mr Gachagua responded by referring to the President using choice nicknames and accusing him of recycling development promises in Kisii and Nyamira counties.

He said the region had little to show after four years of the administration.

“I’m not a road in Kisii or Nyamira. Rigathi is not a water project. Gachagua is not an airport. The truthful man is not a rural electrification project,” he said.

Mr Gachagua warned Dr Ruto against interfering with DCP aspirants and promised to replicate what he called the “Ol Kalou experience” nationwide, in reference to a by-election his party won in July 2026.

On Tuesday, President Ruto continued the attack in Kisii, describing Mr Gachagua as “Mr Texas,” following the former DP’s acquisition of a home in Texas, United States, where he said he would move to if President Ruto won a second term.

The Texas label followed Mr Gachagua’s remark that he would relocate to the United States if President Ruto won a second term.

“I will be in America. I have a house there,” he said.

Such labels, pundits say, reduce complex records to phrases easily repeated at rallies and online, blurring the distinction between allegation, proven fact and insult.

They say that a nickname does not establish culpability, and a counter-label does not answer questions about performance or political responsibility.

But rights activist and presidential aspirant Boniface Mwangi says the nicknames should not be dismissed as harmless entertainment.

“There is truth in the nicknames they label each other with,” he says, arguing that leaders use them to allude to alleged crimes and violations they believe opponents committed.

Kenyans, he says, should investigate the issues behind the labels rather than simply enjoy the spectacle.

He faults the media and public for rewarding mudslinging because it makes compelling television, adding that name-calling only serves to distract Kenyans from real issues.

“This name-calling makes it hard to focus on the real issues, and it is almost impossible to know, apart from the insults, what agenda the so-called leaders have for Kenyans,” he told Nation yesterday.

His warning is that allegations should trigger demands for evidence, investigation and due process. If a politician alleges extortion, corruption or abuse of office, the public deserves specifics and to know whether the matter has been referred to authorities.

Bishop Elizabeth Thuiya argues that “when it comes to names, it’s normal to Kenyans and nothing can be done about it.”

The cleric added: “Forgiveness should be fostered. At the moment, politicians are in competition.”

Bishop David Kodia of the Anglican Church of Kenya Bondo Diocese says  “what is happening reflects a heavy undertaking that requires critical and radical reflection and disposition.”

The Constitution provides a benchmark. Article 10 binds State organs, State officers, public officers and all persons in public policy, and lists human dignity, national unity, integrity and accountability as national values.

Article 73 treats State authority as a public trust, requiring respect for the people and accountability. Article 75 requires State officers to avoid conduct that demeans their office.

Experts say these provisions do not make every sharp remark a constitutional violation, nor do they apply identically to a former office-holder who is no longer a State officer. They nevertheless set a direct benchmark.

Governance expert Javas Bigambo insists that Kenya's political space retains “vibrant literature, composition and nomenclature, that serves to profile opponents, and also help to sink political messages and branding reinforcement to voters.”

He adds: “Sadly, it robs the country of issue-driven politics, even though the naming is attached to socio-economic issues.”

Media, civil society and citizens, he adds, have to keep demanding for issue-driven politics at all levels, from presidency to MCA.

“Most governors and senators seem less keen on issues.”

On his part, President Ruto has sustained focus on his development agenda, and called out his opponents for limitation on issues.

The Executive Director of Community Initiative Action Group – Kenya, Mr Chris Owalla argues that the current political trends lower the standards of politics.

“This weakens democratic accountability and public trust falls. When leaders themselves show no respect for institutions, citizens lose trust in Parliament, courts, and oversight bodies. Political culture becomes about clout, shouting, and viral clips rather than service and delivery,” Mr Owala told Nation.

Civil society groups, he says, should invest in political education and separate legitimate criticism of policy from hate speech and personal abuse.

“The National Cohesion and Integration Commission) should act consistently against speech that threatens cohesion, regardless of the leader's party or position. Parliament should discipline its own members for disorderly conduct. Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the electoral commission and the Media Council should enforce existing laws on leadership, integrity, and media ethics. The limit is set by Article 33(2) of the Constitution.”

President Ruto has defended his visits across the country as a “development tours” and accused opponents of lacking a viable alternative plan.

However, Mr Gachagua says the administration is recycling promises.

For businesses, political theatre does not lower food prices or make taxes easier to meet. For young people, insults do not create jobs; for families, they do not resolve gaps in hospitals and schools.

“Repeated insults can deepen distrust, harden partisan divisions and encourage voters to judge politics by loyalty to personalities rather than scrutiny of decisions,” argues Mr Sam Odhiambo, a businessman

“Repeating insults without testing the claims amplifies the performance. Coverage should examine documents, budgets, court findings and policy proposals.”

Political analyst Dismas Mokua argues that Kenya’s politics has increasingly shifted from ideas to personalities.

“There was a time when tier-one politicians competed on the basis of character, capacity and competence, using ideologies and policy proposals to influence electoral choices. Today, nicknames have become the epitome of personalised politics, with leaders mobilising anger against their competitors instead of engaging in robust policy debates and offering voters an ideas marketplace,” Mr Mokua told Nation.

Nicknames, he adds, have become an agenda-displacement strategy through which politicians divert public attention from their performance, track records and policy shortcomings.

“Instead of subjecting themselves to scrutiny, leaders reduce political competition to personality battles, misinformation, disinformation and character assassination. This exposes a leadership culture deficit and the collapse of the informal rules of conduct that once governed political competition among the country's elite.”

Advocate Chris Omore says President Ruto, as the Head of State, must explain his administration’s work rather than turn public platforms into personal score-settling.

“Gachagua, seeking public support as a former Deputy President, must also substantiate his accusations and set out a credible alternative. Neither should evade scrutiny by blaming the other,” Mr Omore says.

The question, therefore, he adds; “is not who has landed the sharper insult or won the latest exchange. It is whether either leader has answered what matters: what has been delivered, what has failed, who is responsible, what evidence supports the allegations, and what practical proposals will improve Kenyans’ lives.”

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