Former Agriculture cabinet Mwangi Kiunjuri was once an ardent supporter of Deputy President William Ruto to the extend the DP engineered his (Kiunjuri’s) cabinet appointment.
At one point, Kiunjuri was considered a possible running mate for William Ruto who has his eyes on the presidency in the 2022 General Election.
But over the last few months, the former Agriculture cabinet secretary has been disengaging his gears, drifting away from his camp.
Kivumbi.co.ke understands the fallout stated after Wiliam Ruto’s camp refusal to accommodate small parties from Mt Kenya region.
Speaking to the Star Newspaper, Kiunjuri said William Ruto’s camp leadership style smarks off arrogance besides sidelining other politicians and parties from Mt Kenya region.
“They are full of arrogance. Will those people surrounding the deputy presidnet be able to campaign on their own for Ruto? Can you ignore all the other leaders from the region and condemn their parties? No, it does not work like that,” Kiunjuri said.
According to Kiunjuri, William Ruto’s camp dismissed their political outfits from Mt Kenya, claiming they were tribal.
“We were ready for partnership but they said they do not want us. That our parties are small and tribal. You cannot talk like that before you cross the river. We could be that bridge that you need,” he added.
In September, Mwangi Kiunjuri warned DP Ruto against claiming that he had conquered the Mt Kenya region without involving other small parties.
“You can not say that ‘I have now scaled the mountain’. It is too early to say that you have scaled the mountain, it’s so high, there is also ice up there. The weather can be very rough,” ex-Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri said.
Kiunjuri further warned Ruto not to dismiss his opponents’ strategy, as they are bringing everyone on board to win the Mt Kenya vote.
“Because the others who are following you know that it is very difficult to scale the Mountain, and what they are doing is bringing all the sheep together. They are trying to seek support from all of us,” he explained.
