Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has acknowledged claims that former President Uhuru Kenyatta is funding the Linda Mwananchi movement, backing an allegation that President William Ruto has repeatedly made ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Onyonka said the government was right in claiming that Uhuru was providing financial support to people involved in the political movement.
'The government has come up with the issue of it is Uhuru who is funding us (Linda Mwananchi) with billions and that is true,' he stated.
His remarks differ from those of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who has challenged Ruto to provide evidence that Uhuru is sponsoring opposition figures seeking to challenge him in the 2027 election.
Sifuna previously mocked the President over the claim, saying Ruto had failed to provide evidence beyond media reports when asked to substantiate his allegations.
“That guy who supposedly holds all of Kenya's intellectual capital was asked a very simple question, to provide evidence that Uhuru is the sponsor of the opposition; and he said he only read about it in the newspaper... yet he claims we are the fools,” Sifuna said.
Ruto made the allegations on August 13, 2026, while speaking in Eldoret, claiming his predecessor was funding candidates positioning themselves against him.
The President linked Uhuru's alleged support for his political rivals to what he described as failures by the former administration in areas including affordable housing, Universal Health Coverage and education funding.
“When you look at their sponsor, didn't he fail to deliver on Affordable Housing, Universal Healthcare Coverage, and Education? Now he has gone to sponsor his protégés to come and compete with me. I will defeat them early in the morning because they have no plan, agenda, policies or vision,” Ruto said.
Onyonka, however, also accused the Ruto administration of using public resources to support empowerment initiatives that he said were not provided for in the national budget.
He questioned the source of funds being distributed through government empowerment programmes, describing the period as a “handout season” targeting vulnerable and poor voters.
'The government doesn't talk that is Ruto who's sponsoring all these empowerment funds. Which empowerment is not budgeted for? Where the funds are coming from, nobody knows,' Onyonka said.