Susan Kihika blasts Gachagua, Tabitha as she defends Ruto

Embattled Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika on Labour Day launched a scathing attack against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as she campaigned for a president William Ruto's second term.

Ms Kihika said Mr Gachagua's anti-Ruto politics are just but hot air and headed for defeat.

She said that Mr Gachagua has himself to blame over impeachment that happened in October 2024.

"It was a cut and dry issue that followed the due process. Mr Gachagua as a Deputy President was full of himself and did some weird things. That's not how deputies should behave to their bosses. I was sympathetic to Dr Ruto," she said.

Nakuru County boss alleged that Gachagua was in a hurry unimaginable to rise higher in office.

"He cannot blame President Ruto for his woes. In fact the president tried hard to save him, but he was not cautious enough to be saved," she said.

She dismissed Gachagua's persistent declarations that he helped President Ruto win Mt Kenya vote.

"He (Gachagua) lies frequently that he made Mt Kenya vote for Dr Ruto. All of us who won in the Mountain made Mt Kenya people vote for Dr Ruto," she said.

On Gachagua's allies to strategising to oust President Ruto in 2027, she laughed them off.

"Take a case of Eugene Wamalwa...who is he? He's nothing. Martha Karua is usual news... Dr Fred Matiang'i is overrated and has River Yala extra-judicial killings baggage. Mr Kalonzo Musyoka is peculiar and ordinary news. Mr Gachagua is impeached ambitions. This is a useless fire bound to excite for a short time...Ruto-must-go song is an ordinary and stale one," she said.

She said Gachagua brigade has no agenda and it is driven by mob psychology. 

"President Ruto is going nowhere, mark my word," she said.

She was speaking on Kogi's Corner TV show on Thursday night where she said president Ruto remains the real deal for Mt Kenya and the country at large in the 2027 General Election.

She added that Deputy President Kithure Kindiki will manage to unite the mountain and deliver it's votes in Ruto's basket even when others dismiss him as a yes sir man and an underdog".

She explained thus: “We have no vacuum in Mt Kenya since we have Prof Kindiki who is a sober man. He's not comparable to Mr Gachagua. Prof Kindiki was the real deal all along. He (Kindiki) is unlocking so many things for us. He is respectful, sharp and committed.”

She roared on in her praise for the current regime: “Prof Kindiki will unite Mt Kenya. He is not an underdog as suspected. Kindiki will deliver the Mountain to Ruto. Mt Kenya anger will subside. Ruto is not one term. He will go for full two terms.”

She added: “I know you (Mt Kenya) don't want to hear this, but it must be told. President Ruto is getting development budget right and many stalled things are now being unlocked...it is a matter of time before we start liking him.”

She said half a term so far is not enough to judge President Ruto's performance.  "The third president Mwai Kibaki who is highly rated for his transformative rule is always judged using his 10 years rule. President Ruto is doing well so far and following the footsteps of Kibaki," she said.

Ms Kihika described President Ruto as "bright and we were lucky that it was not his competitors who won the 2022 General Election. This country would have sunk".

On allegations that President Ruto is a liar, she begged to differ.

"President Ruto is not a liar. He's hardworking and a performer. He's a workaholic. Pending projects give him sleepless nights. We're not being fair to him. In the fullness of time you'll appreciate him," she said.

Ms Kihika who has been absent from public glare for half a year said she had gone for a normal role of a woman of giving birth, but she was now back--and firing from all cylinders.

"One of the roles of a woman is to give birth. I'm a woman. The small break that I took was necessary. No county service delivery stopped. I'm now back," she said.

About the storm that had started to build around her absence, Ms Kihika said it was politics being played since she had not sneaked out of office unannounced.

"I had officially written a letter to explain where I was headed to. It was plainly clear that I was to be away to deliver. I have since Jayden and Jonathan who are growing well. These my twins... They are sucking well and people should stop discussing them. They are not politicians," she said.

Normal reproductive health issue

Ms Kihika blamed her Senator Ms Tabitha Karanja of seeking to gain political capital out of a normal reproductive health issue concerning a fellow woman.

"The only key Nakuru leader who I don't get along with is Senator Tabitha Karanja. I don't know of an elderly woman who gets wronged by another woman who has gone to give birth. That's not African nature," she roasted.

She added: “But being humane, I don't take offence. In fact I take this opportunity to wish her well as she undergoes treatment in London where she is currently admitted.”

Ms Kihika said she perfectly understands that Ms Karanja has political ambitions "but I can also assure you that she is going through them the wrong way. It was not necessary to politick using my maternal issues and dragging innocent twins into her politics. May she get well soon".

She said that she inherited stalled projects from her predecessor Mr Lee Kinyanjui. 

"He had left most of the projects stalled halfway. I have been trying hard to complete them. I have grown vocational training enrollment from Lee Kinyanjui's 1700 to 5,400 now. My school feeding programmes has seen ECDE centres grow from 1,003 to 1,053 and enrollment going up from 60, 000 to 66,00. Food is an enrollment catchment tack," she said.

Regarding the conflict between her administration and Nakuru War Memorial Hospital, Ms Kihika dismissed it as "criminals intending to take over public land and facility using forgery and we are in court already".

She said the conflict to be determined is that of alleged "forgery where that hospital was established after the World War II to treat white soldiers".

She said she has furnished the courts with suit papers that express her case as based on the facility's land lease.

"Its lease was for 99 years. After the expiry of the lease, the New Constitution states that land reverts to County government. Being a hospital also, health is devolved hence our County Government's task. The management of the hospital went ahead and forged renewal of lease papers," she said.

Ms Kihika said "our prayer in court is that it be determined that it is criminal procedure to renew lease for yourself without involving the laid down institutions and procedure".

She said she will insist that War memorial hospital remain closed until it is reverted back to the people of Nakuru and Kenya in general.

"That's why I've insisted that those who were behind the scheme vacate from the facility. They had criminally privatised a public utility land that is 25 acres big and a public health facility sitting on it," she said.

She admitted that her government's cashless technology had been turned into a conduit of fraudulent services.

"Our cashless transaction technology have been corrupted and cloned to be issuing fake receipts. There is fraud. We've stopped its use and we are rebuilding the systems," she said.

She defended the controversial Social Health Authority (SHA) universal health rollout as good. 

"Nakuru has 3 million people already enlisted in SHA. It is working especially for delivering mothers. Don't listen to propaganda...register for it and it will help you during your hour of need," she said.

Ms Kihika said her worry is that Nakuru electorate love disciplining incumbent governors to serve only one term.

Her fear is that she might also fall victim.

"My only fear is Nakuru's love to kick out governors after only one term. They started with Mr Kinuthia Mbugua (2013-2017) and then Mr Kinyanjui (2017-2022)," she said.

She pleaded with voters to give her two terms “so that I can finish the work deserved for Nakuru residents”.

She said she is very cautious to escape impeachment politics by her county assembly.

"I make it a point to please my MCAs including by way of having lunch with them since I'm aware they are the ones who can impeach me," she said.