Kwa nini unasumbuka vile mimi nakula: Matiang’i fires back at Ruto’s eating salvo
By Charles Ouma, March 17, 2026Jubilee Party Deputy Leader Fred Matiang’i has fired back at President William Ruto in a heated exchange, with food and weight taking centre stage.
Ruto fired the first salvo in Cheptais, Mt. Elgon, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, when he advised opposition leaders to focus on fitness, accusing them of eating too much food and sleeping in meetings.
“Kwanza nawaambia baadhi yenu mwende gym; acheni kula chakula kingi. Matumbo yamejaa hadi vichwa vinakaribia kupasuka. Mnalala kwenye mikutano hata mchana,” Ruto said.
This loosely translates to, “I want to ask these people to go to the gym. Stop eating too much, your stomach will burst. You even fall asleep during meetings,” said Ruto.
Matiang’i fires back as war of words escalates
Matiang’i responded to Ruto a few hours later as he opened Jubilee party offices in Narok on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, noting that he is pained that Ruto has resorted to focusing on how people eat rather than addressing the concerns of Kenyans.
“Yaani nchi yetu leo, six decades after independence, ati at presidential campaign level, tuanze kuongea mambo ya kukula. Ati nani anakula zaidi, nani anakula wapi. I am doing this with a lot of pain,” Matiang’i stated.
This loosely translates to: “Six decades after independence, it is a shame that how people eat is a debate at the presidential level, including who eats what and where”.
He added that what he eats should not be a concern to Ruto, clarifying that he eats ndizi and ugali from Kisii.
“First of all, mimi sijui kwanini unasumbuka vile mimi nakula (I don’t know why how I eat is a concern to you),” Matiangi stated adding that he has never gone for food from Ruto’s relatives.
“Mimi nakula ndizi kule Kisii kwetu na ugali (I eat bananas from Kisii and ugali), he added, perhaps in a bid to satisfy Ruto’s curiosity.
Concerns over Ruto’s remarks
The former Interior CS lamented that Ruto has stooped to unprecedented low levels, noting that discussions about body parts of individuals should not surface at the level of presidential campaigns.
“Sasa kama hiyo ndio inakusumbua, mbona mimi sijakuja kukuuliza vile wewe umekonda? Tuko na heshima kubwa kwa hii nje, na ile standard imeekwa na waliotangulia, Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki na Uhuru Kenyatta; hiyo ndio standard tunataka kwa hiyo ofisi ya rais,” he added.
Ruto had earlier extended the insults by calling the opposition ‘mafala and hawana akili.’