President William Ruto has sustained his offensive against his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, whom he suggests has no knowledge on politics.
Gachagua is on record swearing to teach the president a lesson on the ballot in the 2027 general election.
The DCP leader often asserts that he is the one who made Ruto president, adding that he is the one with the ability to challenge him out of office.
However, speaking at Full Gospel Church Gatunduri, Embu County, on Sunday, July 5, the president observed that Gachagua is a non-starter politically, saying he would not take any threats from him.
Ruto noted that he has been in politics for a long time and joined long before Gachagua entered it.
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He stated that Gachagua's experience can't match his, having served as an MP for one term only between 2017 and 2022.
"There are people saying they sought votes for me. We will change Kenya through development and projects. A former one-term MP is threatening to teach me politics. I have been around for a long time," he said.
At the same time, the president sought to disabuse the notion that it is Gachagua who introduced him to Mt Kenya.
Ruto said he had the ability to run his re-election campaign without the support of Gachagua.
"I am not one who is being helped to seek votes. I know how to do it by myself and with the help of God," he said.
Meanwhile, as Gachagua asserts that Mt Kenya has slipped away from Ruto, some of the president's allies insist the region is still among his strongholds.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba recently characterised the Mt Kenya region as still being one of Ruto's core political strongholds, despite the aggressive anti-Ruto campaign led by Gachagua.
Although Mt Kenya was pivotal to Ruto’s 2022 victory when he ran alongside Gachagua, the two fell out two years later.
Following their split, Gachagua began rallying the region's voters against the Head of State, repeatedly asserting that Mt Kenya put Ruto in office and that the President's re-election chances are dead now that the region has abandoned him.
However, Wamuchomba holds a different view, arguing that Ruto has not lost the region and that Mt Kenya is likely to help him secure a second term in 2027.
She bases her assessment on recent by-election outcomes, specifically pointing to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) victory in Mbeere North.
Wamuchomba believes these mini-polls serve as accurate indicators of what will happen in next year's General Election.
She noted that Gachagua has been misled by a false sense of political security, which she predicts will be completely dismantled at the ballot box.
The MP also highlighted how rapidly Mt Kenya voters tend to embrace the president whenever the opportunity arises, despite their apparent indifference.
She pointed out that indicators from the Mbeere North by-election prove the region can praise a leader today and dump them tomorrow.
Furthermore, Wamuchomba noted that the region's religious institutions will play a pivotal role in mobilising support for Ruto, a strategy the president has actively embraced.
Ultimately, Wamuchomba observed that Gachagua’s continuous attacks on Ruto are inadvertently endearing the President to Mt Kenya voters.
Based on her assessment of the current political climate, she projects that the President will secure no fewer than 4 million votes from the region.
