From watching television to listening to ground; how Uhuru has evolved

The funeral service for former Kirinyaga Senator Daniel Karaba became the platform where retired President Uhuru Kenyatta disclosed his drastic transition from quietly “watching television” to “listening to the ground”.

In the presence of the opposition top brass, Uhuru, for the first time, said he too had joined the “ground-listening” brigade, mimicking Rigathi Gachagua’s ear-lobe slogan that has become a popular rallying call in the united opposition’s quest for a joint presidential candidate to take on President William Ruto in next year’s General Election.

“I have heard Dr Karanja Kibicho say he nowadays listens to the ground. I also listen to the ground, and the ground is saying you remain united,” Uhuru said to loud applause from the crowd.

Uhuru’s most pointed political message of the day, however, was reserved for the church and the clergy, whom he upbraided for the first time since leaving office, accusing them of “misleading these people to go the wrong way” in 2022.

Speaking in Kikuyu and briefly turning to point at the clergy seated behind him, he said, “You did contribute in a big way to misleading these people to choose the wrong path. But I will respectfully beg you: please do not mislead these people this time round. Do not confuse these people again, I beseech you. Leave politics to politicians who understand the affairs of this world. Your business is to shepherd people’s souls to find the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.”

Misled by Riggy G

Uhuru urged the region to stand firm, remain united, and act wisely this time around, as Karaba had persuaded them to do in 2022.

“Listen to leaders who tell the truth, even unpleasant truths, and ignore honey-tongued politicians. Karaba told you the truth, which you ignored when you were misled by Riggy G and his group, but it has now come to pass. If you do not watch out this time round, it will be up to you,” was the retired President’s warning—one that sounded more consequential when delivered in mother tongue than in translation.

Unleashing such a broadside immediately after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had publicly apologised and asked for forgiveness for ignoring Uhuru’s caution against campaigning for Ruto in 2022—on the premise that he had presented himself as a God-fearing, Bible-quoting, devout Christian—Uhuru clarified the ambiguous political posture that many had spent months speculating about.

Uhuru was acutely aware he was in the heartland of “Wantam” territory, where there is little room for middle ground or shades of grey. It was a drastic U-turn, but one his audience received with loud applause.

The last time he displayed ambiguity about his political stand and his relationship with Gachagua, in November 2024, he was heavily criticised on social media.

Waiguru keeps off

The entrenched, almost combative passions and tensions in the region between the “Wantam” and “Tutam” camps are such that even Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru and her Embu counterpart, Cecily Mbarire, could not attend the high-profile funeral of a senior elder of Karaba’s stature, as would ordinarily be expected.

For Uhuru watchers, what was on display was the vintage, quintessential politician—dexterously navigating the tension between the need to signal to his Mt Kenya base where he stands amid current uncertainties, and an acute awareness that other eyes and ears at State House were scrutinising his every word, tone, and gesture.

He attended to both audiences like a master conjurer. The last time he and Gachagua met face to face—on 16 November 2024 in Embu town, shortly after Gachagua’s impeachment—Uhuru appeared to misread the mood of his Mt Kenya audience and the depth of trauma the ouster had inflicted on the region’s collective psyche.

The occasion was the installation of Bishop Peter Kimani as head of the Embu Catholic Diocese, an event that was attended by President Ruto and Gachagua. During his speech, Uhuru did not acknowledge the ex-Deputy President’s presence or offer any word of commiseration to either Gachagua or his supporters.

Instead, he said he no longer spoke politics and only quietly watched television and listened to the radio—even though the impeachment was the dominant national issue at the time.

What followed was fierce condemnation of Uhuru on social media for “not siding with his people in their hour of need” and for appearing callous—criticism so intense it likely underscored for him the profound political shifts triggered by Gachagua’s impeachment.

Karaba’s funeral provided a moment of political recalibration—a mea culpa of sorts—allowing Uhuru to correct course by aligning himself with the “listening to the ground” camp and mollifying lingering doubts about his position in the shifting political landscape.

Disclaimer to State House

To audiences at State House monitoring his moves, he offered a disclaimer, acknowledging the potential backlash of appearing alongside opposition figures: “I have no idea where James Orengo came from. I even saw Kalonzo Musyoka and my brother Riggy G—I have been watching them on NTV in Ukambani. I know I may be accused of organising your presence and may endure vicious media attacks for weeks,” he said.

The Siaya Governor was among the key speakers at the funeral.

The disclaimer, however, rang hollow given Uhuru’s role as Jubilee Party leader and convener of the Azimio coalition, where he has recently named Kalonzo Musyoka as chairman, even as critics link his name to the Linda Mwananchi faction of ODM that is associated with Orengo and Senator Edwin Sifuna.

It was, in effect, a political bombshell delivered to both a Mt Kenya and a national audience.

That President Ruto would, the following day, use a church event in Nyeri County to reassure the region that he had not neglected it—and was not ready to lose a voting bloc that buoyed his rise to power—was widely seen as a direct attempt at damage control in response to Uhuru’s re-entry into the political fray.

Sources indicated that Gachagua, who is the DCP leader, has convened a Parliamentary Group meeting of 21 MPs and senators affiliated to the party, alongside former legislators, to brief them on the latest developments, including a possible working relationship with Uhuru’s Jubilee.