President William Ruto’s political standing in Murang’a has come under growing pressure, with Senator Joe Nyutu linking the shift to economic hardship, police brutality, demolitions of informal settlements and difficulties in education and healthcare.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday, Nyutu said the breakdown of relations between Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had added to the President’s problems in the Mount Kenya region.
The senator said residents were also unhappy with remarks made by Ruto and his allies, which he claimed had created the impression that the community was being treated as an opponent after backing the President in the 2022 election.
“Ruto’s disagreement with Gachagua, of course, was born out of the many things that Ruto was doing that were against the people,” Nyutu said.
Nyutu singled out the demolition of informal settlements in Nairobi as one of the issues that he said caused concern in Murang’a, arguing that many of those affected have connections to the county.
“Most of those informal settlements that you see in Nairobi, especially down in Mathare, Korogocho area, those areas, most of those people come from where?” he said.
According to the senator, the issue of demolitions was also part of the disagreements that eventually drove a wedge between Ruto and Gachagua.
He recalled that during the 2022 campaigns, there had been an understanding that people living in informal settlements would first be provided with alternative accommodation before the areas were cleared.
Nyutu further accused the administration of failing to safeguard young people, citing deaths during protests and cases of what he described as police brutality.
“Murang’a lost in 2024 and 2025 very many young people through the police bullet, through of course police brutality,” he said.
He mentioned Boniface Kariuki, a mask vendor who was killed, as well as other young people from Murang’a whom he said died during the period.
The senator also pointed to the state of the economy as another reason for the growing frustration, particularly among traders.
“The economy, of course, I don’t have to prove to anybody that it’s not doing well,” he said.
Nyutu added that difficulties affecting healthcare and delays in the release of funds to schools had also contributed to the dissatisfaction among residents.
He further criticised the political language used by Ruto and his allies towards the Mount Kenya region, saying it had hurt a community that had strongly supported the President in 2022.
“When an entire community decides to vote for you, knowing very well that you are not one of them... then later on, when you think that now you have new partners, you start calling those people tribalists,” he said.
Nyutu said he had chosen to support Gachagua and claimed that Murang’a residents had already settled on seeking a different president in the 2027 General Election.
“The mountain is very united,” he said, adding that efforts to create divisions within the region were motivated by political interests.
The comments come against the backdrop of the deteriorating relationship between Ruto and Gachagua after the two leaders won the 2022 election together under the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Their partnership later came under strain following disagreements over government appointments, the sharing of state resources and the political treatment of the Mount Kenya region.
The dispute culminated in Gachagua’s impeachment and removal from the deputy presidency in October 2024.
The disagreement between the two leaders unfolded as the Kenya Kwanza administration also faced wider public anger, particularly during the 2024 anti-government protests over proposed tax measures and economic pressures.
Since his removal from office, Gachagua has promoted his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) as a political vehicle in Mount Kenya.
Ruto, meanwhile, has been working to regain support in the region through other leaders, among them Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.