Ruto is lying, Nyoro's ally says about president mentoring Kiharu MP

In spite of President William Ruto’s assertions that he is nurturing embattled Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro and that Nyoro is his mentee, it is emerging that the two fell out in October last year over former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment.

Ruto, on Monday night, said Nyoro was still his political mentee and showered praises on the MP, describing him as one of the most promising young politicians in Kenya.

“Leave Ndindi Nyoro to me. He is among the young MPs I am currently nurturing. There are certain things I would rather not disclose here, but rest assured, I have a plan for him. These young leaders I am mentoring are bound to make errors here and there, but as a leader, it is my duty to steer them in the right direction. That is why I repeat, leave them to me,” the President said.

Despite these claims, Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, a close ally of Nyoro, contradicted the President, maintaining that Nyoro’s relationship with Ruto was severed in October last year. This was after the MP refused to append his signature in support of Gachagua’s impeachment.

“Nyoro is my confidant; he took me to the President. He confided in me that he had severed ties with Ruto after he refused to support Gachagua’s ouster. When he refused, the President instead asked him to mobilise Murang’a MPs to support the impeachment motion, but he also declined,” Muriu disclosed.

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Since then, Muriu said, Nyoro’s goose was cooked. Ruto’s allies started plotting how he could be removed from the chairmanship of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and went to the extent of accusing him of misusing his position to deny other constituencies funds to benefit himself.

“How can you allow your political mentee to be disparaged in the National Assembly by your other mentees as corrupt and a leader who diverts monies meant for other regions to cater for his constituency?” posed Muriu.

The UDA Secretary for Legal Affairs wondered how the President would be mentoring Nyoro while directing his other mentees, like National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, to attack the MP, terming Ruto’s assertions as lies and the last kick of a dying horse.

“Ichung’wah personally led attacks on Nyoro on the floor of the House. What does a fellow mentee who shares a mentor do? The problem with Ruto is that when you differ with him or when you tell him the truth, you become his enemy,” added Muriu.

He explained that Nyoro turned down Ruto’s request to be the face of Gachagua’s ouster, reminding him that the MP had provided a hideout for Gachagua during his woes with former President Uhuru Kenyatta and that it would be the height of betrayal for him to lead the ouster motion.

“Nyoro reminded Ruto how he offered shelter to Gachagua as he was chased by the police due to his political dalliance with him (Ruto), but the President did not take kindly to his objection.”

Weeks before Gachagua’s impeachment was tabled, Nyoro—who was expected to attend and lead a leaders’ caucus in Nyahururu that crowned then-Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as their link to the President—skipped the meeting.

The meeting was attended by over 60 leaders from the Mt Kenya region and the diaspora counties.

Sources indicate that Nyoro could be hatching a strategy to chart his own political path away from Ruto’s political affiliation, a move that may prompt Ruto and Gachagua to deploy a political force against the MP. Political analyst Charles Njoroge noted that if Ruto was not on good terms with Nyoro, the President would want to brand him as his project so that people do not believe in him.

“It’s a complicated political strategy because if Ruto presents Nyoro as his friend, people will start seeing the MP as Ruto’s project. Nyoro should move with speed and recant the claims; otherwise, such statements will spoil his political future,” Njoroge said.

Gachagua has already started mobilising his supporters to reject political parties from the Mt Kenya region, claiming they were Ruto’s briefcase parties meant to divide and rule the voter-rich region.

“You should reject the regional parties because Ruto has developed a political scheme to plant political parties so that he can divide us,” he told residents of Wangige on Friday.

Nyoro, who has remained mum over his relationship with Ruto, has, in several instances, indicated that all is not well.

The Kiharu MP had earlier explained that he had a political discussion with Ruto in October last year. He added that despite attaining the leadership of the committee through intense consultations, he did not receive a call regarding his removal.

“I have not had any conversation, directly or over the phone, with any leader of our coalition with regards to the position I held. I respect all leaders, including the President and his former Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, and I could have things I need to talk about, but it is not within my role to talk about that,” he said.

And he added: “For clarity, the last discussion I had with the President, political or otherwise, was before October last year, and I would not want to discuss further with any leader… I just stopped serving my position just a week ago.”