Unpresidential: Inside William Ruto's personal attacks and body-shaming politics

President William Ruto yesterday appeared to forget that his office symbolises national unity, unleashing a stream of insults and profanities at opposition figures with little restraint. He resorted to body shaming and aired allegations touching on personal and family matters, all during what had been billed as a development tour.

The President showed scant interest in the official explaining the Chwele Market design, but found ample time to deride what he called a brainless opposition. He mocked one politician for eating too much, saying his head was growing fat, and accused another of disinheriting his brother’s widow.

The outburst came as the president pitched camp in Western for the second day of his four-day tour, turning public platforms into forums for insults. Lacking etiquette and behaving in a manner far from presidential, Ruto left Bungoma residents stunned and Kenyans wondering how low his jibes could sink.

If presidential speeches were to be rated, the president and his supporters would be applauding their way to the bottom of the podium, if his Bungoma and Kakamega remarks were among the entries.

At nearly every stop yesterday, the president’s development agenda quickly faded, his speeches morphing into a stream of body-shaming, obscene allegations, belittling of critics and personal attacks.

The choice of words, the intonation, the facial expressions and the nature of the claims left sections of his audience uneasy, as expectations of messages of hope during a period of economic strain gave way to unchecked presidential profanity.

The President repeatedly branded opposition leaders as thieves and murderers. Yet observers questioned why he had not acted on similarly grave allegations he has made against his former deputy, despite the full weight of State machinery at his disposal.

“We have a person possessed with the spirit of tribalism, hatred, and division. He is moving in churches, funerals and on the roadside, telling us nothing. The person who has gone to the bed of his dying brother to manipulate and disinherit his brother’s will from the widow and orphans of their property,” said Ruto.

His mockery fixated on the physical appearance of his critics and extended to their families, as he described their stomachs and ridiculed their eating habits.

On former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, he was direct. The president vowed to block him from gaining influence in the country, while delving into his personal life with a series of troubling allegations.

He added: “He has no moral authority to lecture or tell us anything. That is not a person to lead anywhere and anything. I am giving him a notice, we will not allow him to mislead this nation, a character who has no morals.”

Ruto said Gachagua was removed from office by 80 per cent of MPs and therefore deserved to be in jail. He described him as a divisive, tribal figure rejected by Parliament and urged Kenyans to allow him to deal with such individuals.

The president went on to launch a scathing attack on another opposition leader, describing him as a man without a home, family, or even a plan to lead a village.

He claimed the politician from Kitale had inherited an MP seat, land, house and children from his brother but had failed to build a home, had rented a wife, and let his brother’s children die of hunger.

Ruto defended his weight loss, saying he is following a diet and exercise regimen to stay alert and focused on transforming the country. He then accused his opponents of poor eating habits and urged them to exercise for fitness and wellness.

“There is another one, and I was even shocked. I heard him yesterday saying Ruto is not sleeping because he has lost weight. Indeed, these people are fools. They are overeating, yet they talk about me cutting weight. I am intelligent enough to know when to reduce my weight so I can focus on what I do. I am disciplined enough to know how much to eat to stay alert. For you people, you have eaten so much that your stomach protrudes and your head looks ready to burst,” said Ruto.

He added: “I want to tell you, please look in the mirror and see how you appear. Your stomach is straining your clothes. Go to a gym, exercise and eat less so you can stop dozing off in meetings and polluting the environment.”

On another leader, Ruto said the politician has achieved nothing in over 50 years in politics.

“We have a person who has been in government for over 40 years, served in almost every ministry, and yet has done nothing for the country or his people. The only thing he has done is steal NYS land to build a house. In his own rural home, he has done nothing, and I am the one who will tarmac the road to his house. He cannot even lead a village.”

Ruto described the opposition as having no agenda or capacity to compete with him ahead of the 2027 polls, boasting of his achievements in health, education, road infrastructure and reviving the economy.

“My opponents have said they have no agenda, and that their agenda is me. I want to tell them I do not have their time. I will give them one per cent of my time and dedicate 99 per cent to serving my people, transforming our country and taking it to Singapore by strengthening our health care system, education, and economy,” he said.

Speaking in Narok during the opening of a Jubilee Party office, flagbearer Fred Matiang’i questioned how, after 60 years of independence, a leader could go on a presidential campaign platform and comment on people’s eating habits.

“I say this with a lot of pain. First of all, I do not know why you are troubled… I have not looked for food from your wife,” he said.

Leaders from the Western region who accompanied the President, including Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya and Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, along with several MPs and other officials, vowed to rally the region behind him.

Wetang’ula urged residents to disregard the opposition, saying it has nothing to offer the region.

“We want to walk with the president now and in 2027. We have seen what he has done for this region in terms of development. As your leader, let us stick with the government, not the opposition, which is full of empty rhetoric,” he said.

“The President has launched many projects, and some are almost nearing completion. We have the Kakamega Level Six Hospital and Bukhungu International Stadium getting completed soon. The head of state has taken development to all parts of the region and country, and as a region we are going to support him in 2027 and we are firmly in broad-based and the next government will be formed under the broad-based,” said Governor Barasa.

Wetangula urged the people of the Western region to disregard the opposition, stating that it has nothing to offer for the region.

“We want to walk with the president now and in 2027, we have seen what he has done for this region in terms of development, and as your leader, let us stick with the government and not

As leaders and Kenyans continue to raise concerns about the state’s appetite for state and private assets, President Ruto defended the hostile takeover of the Nairobi Hospital, dismissing claims by the opposition as baseless and clueless.

Speaking in Mt Elgon Constituency, Bungoma and Kakamega Counties during his four-day development tour, the head of state vowed to save and defend the premier hospital from what he termed as conmen, fraudsters, and charlatans.

“There is no way I am going to allow the Nairobi Hospital to be taken hostage by charlatans, conmen, and fraudsters. As a patron of Nairobi Hospital, senior doctors and professionals from the hospital approached me to save the hospital from people who wanted to exploit it,” said Ruto.

Ruto vowed to ensure those alleged of mismanaging the Nairobi Hospital are arrested, prosecuted and charged urging opposition to stop using headlines in media to peddle what he termed as baseless and clueless allegations.