Cabinet Rift Deepens as Wahome and Ruku Clash Over Mt Kenya Vote Strategy Ahead of 2027 Election
A rare public disagreement has emerged within President William Ruto’s Cabinet after Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome openly contradicted Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku over the political direction of the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The exchange has exposed growing differences within the Kenya Kwanza administration over how the influential voting bloc should position itself as political realignments gather momentum ahead of the next presidential contest.
Speaking on Thursday, July 9, Lands CS Alice Wahome dismissed attempts to split the Mt Kenya region into eastern and western political blocs, arguing that such rhetoric contradicts President Ruto’s long-standing message of national unity.
Without directly naming her Cabinet colleague, Wahome appeared to respond to remarks made by Geoffrey Ruku a day earlier, insisting that leaders serving in government should not promote divisions within communities for political advantage.
“If we now take a community and start resubdividing the community, we are not building in the direction the Head of State has taken in this country of uniting the country irrespective of the region that opposed him,” Wahome said.
She praised President Ruto for pursuing an inclusive style of leadership, pointing to the formation of the broad-based government following cooperation with opposition leader Raila Odinga as evidence of efforts to reduce political and ethnic divisions.
“The President has been at the forefront to rally Kenyans against ethnicity and division along ethnic lines. He started by bringing Raila into the government, and I support the broad-based government,” she added.
Wahome further warned that leaders cannot campaign on the message of national cohesion while simultaneously encouraging regional or ethnic fragmentation.
“For you to lead Kenyans, you need the unity of the nation; therefore, you cannot be for the unity of Kenyans and then start to preach division of a community. That is total ignorance, and I reject that trajectory,” she stated.
Her remarks came barely 24 hours after Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku made controversial comments suggesting that President Ruto’s re-election would not depend on support from the larger Mt Kenya West voting bloc.
During an interview with a local radio station on Wednesday, July 8, Ruku argued that Mt Kenya East alone commands enough political strength to secure another five-year term for President Ruto.
“Our two million votes are enough, without asking for the Kikuyu vote, to make sure William Ruto is re-elected,” Ruku declared.
The Cabinet Secretary also outlined what he described as the region’s long-term political roadmap, saying leaders from Mt Kenya East intend to rally behind Deputy President Kithure Kindiki after the 2027 elections.
“In 2028, we shall have begun the journey of Kithure Kindiki becoming the President of Kenya because we also need to be on the resource-sharing side, not always on the receiving side,” Ruku said.
The contrasting statements have sparked fresh debate over Kenya Kwanza’s internal political strategy and the future of the Mt Kenya voting bloc, which played a decisive role in President Ruto’s 2022 election victory.
Political observers are likely to interpret the differing positions as an early sign of succession politics and competing regional interests within the ruling coalition, even as the government publicly maintains that its focus remains on service delivery and national unity.
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