Uhuru embraces ‘sponsor’ tag in fresh jab at Ruto as Matiangi, Nyoro unite

By  Mwangi Muiruri

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

Mr Kenyatta was speaking in Murang'a County during the burial ceremony of Christine Waruguru, who was the mother of Mr Kenyatta's former State House Deputy Comptroller, George Kariuki. He was accompanied by his Jubilee Party's Deputy Party Leader and presidential aspirant, Dr Fred Matiang'i, and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.

In the recent past, President Ruto has consistently and publicly claimed that Mr Kenyatta is the sole sponsor of the opposition, at one point even calling him a rebel leader. Dr Ruto has even christened the Nairobi Senator-led opposition wing of Linda Mwananchi as “Linda Uhuru Kenyatta.”

During the Murang'a event, Mr Kenyatta had initially delivered an off-the-cuff speech before abruptly checking himself, noting that it has become dangerous for him to speak his thoughts publicly.

“It has become dangerous for me to speak off the cuff... lest the media misinterprets me, let me stick to my written condolences,” he said.

After concluding the reading of his statement, he signed off with an off-the-cuff remark, stating, “that is all from sponyo,” sending the audience into fits of laughter.

It was the first time Mr Kenyatta was sharing a podium with Mr Nyoro since their ugly political fallout in 2018. At that time, the president was setting the stage to support Mr Raila Odinga to succeed him in the 2022 General Election, while the Kiharu MP was rooting for Dr Ruto, who was then the Deputy President.

Mr Nyoro was elected in 2017 on a Jubilee ticket as a close ally of President Kenyatta.

In 2018, at the wedding of then-Murang'a Senator Irungu Kang'ata (now governor), Mr Kenyatta told young leaders, including Mr Nyoro, to settle down and build families. Soon after, the two commenced a bitter fallout that resulted in Mr Nyoro's arrest for political dissent, after which he hit back through volatile missiles on the campaign trail.

Political pundits had focused on the event to get a clearer indication of Mr Kenyatta's next move since he endorsed Dr Matiang'i on November 7, 2025, in Murang'a as his preferred 2027 presidential candidate.

The event had been made juicier by the presence of Mr Nyoro, who has since packaged himself as a Dr Matiang'i enthusiast, amid live political gossip that the two intend to partner on a joint ticket for the 2027 presidential race.

But the three avoided making any concrete political commitments to the audience.

Mr Kenyatta only observed that the country has a notoriety for not honouring its heroes.

He noted that the most discriminated against heroes are women and the youth.

Dr Matiang'i lamented that there were national leaders who were going around hurling insults, lying to the people and saying a lot of things that do not make sense.

He said that such leaders were living testimony of how they grew up with bad manners.

Mr Nyoro pampered Mr Kenyatta with praise, attributing some of the development projects in Kiharu to the leadership and inspiration of the former President.

“Some of the roads you see in Kiharu are a result of your good leadership, my boss,” he said.

Mr Nyoro also hinted that Mr Kenyatta might be his political mentor in his current endeavours when he noted, “I am appreciative that you have given us good advice when we have reached out to you.”

Mr Nyoro urged the nation to understand his current political stance, saying he is at the same crossroads that Mr Kenyatta faced during the 2002 General Election, as well as Mr Mwai Kibaki's moment in 1992.

During the Kibaki moment, Mr Kibaki contested the presidency against the popular pulse in Mt Kenya, which then held that Mr Kenneth Matiba was the man of the moment. In the 2002 episode, Mr Kenyatta vied for the presidency against the grain in an election where Mr Kibaki was seen as the clear favourite.

In both instances, the split was costly. In 1992, Mr Matiba and Mr Kibaki lost after they shared the spoils, giving Daniel Moi a through-pass back to power. In the 2002 episode, Mr Kibaki won the presidency after Mt Kenya split, leaving Mr Kenyatta with 30 per cent of the vote.

Currently, there are those who argue that the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader, Rigathi Gachagua, appears to have the upper hand in mobilising the Mt Kenya voting bloc, warning that a duplication of this role could scatter the area's unity ahead of the 2027 vote.

Mr Nyoro begged for understanding, saying he is charting his independent political identity as he aspires to come of age, even as political environmentalists in Mt Kenya continue to warn that a considerable split of the regional vote will be injurious to the collective goal of unseating President Ruto.

“It is like how a male youth moves into a cubicle, and then to a bigger house, as well as building his parents a good house... that is where I am politically, and I look forward beyond 2027,” he said.

Mr Nyoro stated that he looks forward to seeing a country that fixes the national economy to provide reprieve in the education, health and employment sectors.

In the recent past, Mr Nyoro has been coalescing around Mr Kenyatta, warning the Ruto administration to leave the former president alone.

“Mr Kenyatta was not part of this government's manifesto. Insulting him was not part of the plan of this failed wheelbarrow government,” he recently said.

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