Eugene Wamalwa cautions Ruto against using devt in Ukambani to threaten Kalonzo
By Steve Ireri, September 20, 2025DAP-Kenya party leader Eugene Wamalwa has hit out at President William Ruto, saying he is blackmailing Wiper Patriotic Front Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka by connecting development projects in Ukambani to political allegiance.
Speaking at the Calvary Christian Tabernacle Church in Machakos on Saturday, September 20, 2025, Wamalwa dismissed Ruto’s claims that leaders in the Ukambani region were opposed to development.
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He described the president’s remarks as lies, insisting that local leaders not only welcomed development but also paid taxes like every other Kenyan, hence had a right to receive government services without conditions.
“He has now brought his lies here in Machakos. When President Ruto said that leaders from Ukambani do not want development, that is a lie. Leaders here want development, and they pay taxes. For development to come here in Machakos, it is not a must that your leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, goes and kneels before William Ruto,” he said.
Wamalwa said that residents of Machakos and the larger Ukambani region should never be made to feel as though development was a favour tied to their political choices.
He emphasised that it was neither necessary for Kalonzo Musyoka to bow before the president nor for governors and members of Parliament from the region to make trips to State House to beg for projects.
He argued that development was their constitutional right and not a privilege dispensed at the whim of the head of state.
“It is not that your leaders, even governors or MPs, must go to State House, be given ten thousand shillings and then beg for development. No, it is their right. I want to tell Ruto to stop this bribery and stop this blackmail,” Wamalwa added.
He went further to accuse Ruto of using bribes and intimidation as tools of governance, saying it was unacceptable for the President to suggest that Kalonzo’s refusal to engage him politically was the reason Ukambani was being sidelined.
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Wamalwa condemned the notion, terming it blackmail, and reminded the Head of State that the country was governed by the Constitution and the rule of law, not personal bargains.
“All that you are doing to Kalonzo is blackmail. Saying that just because he does not want to speak to you, then it means he does not want development, that is blackmail. This country has a Constitution, and that constitution is what guides it together with the laws of Kenya.”
Vision 2030
The former CS also invoked the legacy of former President Mwai Kibaki, recalling that alongside Kalonzo Musyoka, Kibaki had launched Vision 2030, a national blueprint meant to benefit every corner of Kenya.
He said this vision was never designed to be confined to certain regions or used as a bargaining chip for political loyalty.
“This country has Vision 2030, which President Mwai Kibaki and Kalonzo left us with. That Vision 2030 is for the whole country, and it covers the whole country,” he said.
Wamalwa called on Kenyans to pray for the country and for a smooth transition from what he described as a corrupt and deceitful administration.
He accused President Ruto of turning State House into a hub for handouts, alleging that leaders from across the nation were being invited to receive bribes of Ksh10,000 along with empty promises.
“Let us pray for our country and pray that we have a smooth transition from this government of Ruto that is built on lies and bribery. These days now, Ruto has turned State House into a place of bribery. He is calling people from all parts of the country to go there, receive ten thousand shillings each and without a doubt, be fed with many false promises.”