Tuesday, March 10,
2026 - Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary, Justin Muturi, has revealed
the behind‑the‑scenes details of how President William Ruto settled on Rigathi
Gachagua as his running mate during the 2022 presidential elections, sidelining
Kithure Kindiki despite his initial popularity within the campaign team.
Speaking on Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, Muturi
recalled being called to a late‑night meeting in Karen on the eve of the
announcement.
“On the night before the running mate was picked in 2022,
I was in Mombasa when William Ruto called me and asked that we meet in Karen.”
“When I got there, he explained that leaders within UDA
had taken the position that the running mate had to come from UDA and from the
Mt. Kenya region,” Muturi said.
He disclosed that although Ruto had previously considered
him, his affiliation with the Democratic Party made it impossible.
“He told me the reason he could not pick me was because I
belonged to another party, and I could not join UDA.”
“Because of that, the promise he had earlier made to me
could not be fulfilled,” Muturi explained.
Muturi further revealed that Kindiki had initially received
majority support among the campaign team, but Ruto doubted his political appeal
in Mt. Kenya.
“He even remarked that people in the region were asking
whether Kindiki was Maasai because he could hardly speak Kikuyu,” Muturi
noted.
Ultimately, Ruto concluded that choosing Kindiki would
weaken the ticket.
“Eventually, he told me he had made up his mind that
Rigathi Gachagua would be the running mate because picking Kindiki would have
been political suicide. It would have cost us votes,” Muturi said.
Muturi agreed with the assessment, acknowledging Gachagua’s
strong grassroots base and ability to mobilize Mt. Kenya voters - a reality he
insists remains unchanged to date.
"And that reality has not changed to date. William Ruto
himself knows that Kindiki does not have the kind of political influence in the
Mt. Kenya region that can sway the vote," he concluded
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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