Ruku slams Gachagua over call for Mt Kenya to elect academic intellectuals
Armed with a swagger stick, double microphone, and an excited crowd eager to listen to him, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has heavily faulted the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua over his recent remarks on the kind of MPs Mt Kenya should vote for in 2027.
Speaking moments after landing in Kanyuambora, Mbeere North Constituency, on Wednesday, November 11, 2025, Ruku said Gachagua should stop thinking that those supporting President William Ruto aren’t learned.
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Ruku fires at Gachagua
“Hapa ni Murimaa. Wewe Rigathi Gachagua unasema ati unataka professionals wakue Mbugeni.
“Mimi nataka nikwambie ya kwamba nikiwa hapa Mbeere North, sisi tumesoma sawa sawa. Sisi siyo kama wewe na wale mnaambatana na wao.
“Akina Koimburi, akina Mejja Donk, akina Bazu pale Nairobi. Watu ambao hawana makaratasi na hawajaenda shule.
“Wambuge wa Mt Kenya ambao wanasimama na meshimiwa Ruto ni wabunge ambao wameenda shule vizuri na wanajua mahali Kenya inapaswa kukua.
“Na wanaongozwa na kiongozi ambaye amesoma sana, ambaye ni Professor Kindiki,” Ruku said.
He insisted that the MPs aligned with President Ruto are knowledgeable and well-educated, dismissing Gachagua’s call for voters to prioritise academic professionals over experienced political leaders.
What Gachagua said
Ruku’s remarks come days after Gachagua praised the late Raila Odinga’s leadership style during the Ngemi Cia Watho Association Festival held in Gatanga Constituency on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
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Speaking to a packed audience, Gachagua lauded Raila for building ODM into a strong political party capable of influencing successive governments despite never being elected president.
Gachagua named prominent ODM members such as Governor James Orengo, the late Otieno Kajwang, Edwin Sifuna, Tom Ojienda, Otiendo Amollo, Caroli Omondi, Millie Odhiambo, Peter Kaluma, Stewart Madzayo, Babu Owino, and Mohammed Faki, noting that they had protected Raila for 30 years.
He also called on lawyers and other professionals from Mt Kenya to vie for elective posts, appealing for 140 MPs under the DCP party, including at least 40 legal minds, to safeguard the interests of citizens.
Gachagua warned that the absence of principled, educated leaders allows corruption and poor governance to thrive, urging the elite to step forward.
Political clash intensifies
Ruku’s counter to Gachagua signals growing tension between the two camps ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Cabinet Secretary emphasised that political experience, loyalty, and understanding of governance are as important as formal academic credentials.
He also said that the people of Mt Kenya have the capacity to make informed choices without being told to prioritise lawyers and other professionals over proven leaders.
The exchange adds to the simmering political debate on leadership quality and representation in Mt Kenya as parties prepare for the next general election.
