“Ruto Is Rattled” Robert Alai Claims Uhuru’s Return Has Shaken the President

Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has claimed that President William Ruto is deeply uneasy about former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s public appearances, and that Uhuru’s real problem is with Ruto, not Rigathi Gachagua.

“President Ruto is very uncomfortable with Uhuru Kenyatta because he feels the former president has beef with him. He thought Uhuru hated Rigathi Gachagua, but now that they are friends, he has realized that he is the one Uhuru has a problem with,” Alai said.

That, he said, is why Ruto “feels unsettled whenever Uhuru appears in public and calls for unity against him.”

The claim is Alai’s own reading of the President’s state of mind.

Ruto has himself spoken about the relationship, with Nation reporting in August that he detailed how his former boss snubbed repeated efforts to reconcile.

The remarks follow a dramatic realignment.

Gachagua, who led an onslaught against Uhuru’s family before the 2022 election, has since publicly apologised to his former boss and defended him against attacks.

In April, Uhuru told opposition leaders the people want them to remain united at a rare Kirinyaga reunion with Gachagua and Fred Matiang’i.

Alai, an ODM member and Kileleshwa MCA, has consistently been among the strongest defenders of the party’s cooperation with Ruto.

In July, he warned that ODM risked helping Gachagua destabilise Ruto’s government, writing that he feared the party was doing so knowingly or unknowingly.

The Star reported in February that an Uhuru-Gachagua working arrangement would unite the region’s two most recognisable political figures, undermining a strategy of isolating Gachagua while rebuilding bridges with Uhuru’s camp.

Lands CS Alice Wahome has told Uhuru that, though they hold him in high regard, it was time he stayed home and gave advice on unity rather than get involved in politics.

Whether Alai’s claim reflects the mood in State House is unclear, but it adds to the growing debate over how Uhuru’s re-emergence is reshaping the race to 2027.

Kenyans will be watching to see how the President responds.

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