Ex-Ruto CSs Call Out Newspaper Over Reports Of Regretting Supporting Ruto

Former Cabinet Secretaries Ababu Namwamba and Aisha Jumwa on Thursday, October 24 called out Taifa Leo Newspaper for reporting that they regretted supporting President William Ruto, months after being let go from their powerful positions despite backing Ruto heavily before and after the 2022 polls.

Jumwa, who took to X to respond to the reports published in the local Swahili daily, maintained that she was fully behind President Ruto despite being dismissed from Cabinet after the Gen Z protests. 

The former CS for Public Service called out the publication for not doing what she described as its due diligence and giving her the right to reply.

"Who sought my opinion? Taifa Leo, what happened to the right of reply? Now, let me inform you, there is no day that I will ever regret supporting President William Ruto. 

"He is a leader that I trust. Stop the petty politics. I am with Ruto until the end. We are in the cold, what cold?" the post on X, loosely translated from her Swahili remarks, read.

On his part, former Sports CS Ababu Namwamba dismissed the reports adding that he would have sued the media organisation if it was making money.

He wrote “Taifa Leo, stop your lies! How can I, Ababu Terrah the Rock languish in the cold? Maybe cold from the Air Conditioner!! You have turned from “Taifa Leo” to “Taifa Lies”. Disgrace! If you weren't broke I would have sued you.”

Following the dissolution of the Cabinet, Namwamba was appointed as the appointed the President of the Africa-China Legal Alliance.

On her part, Jumwa is yet to make a return to government, despite a vow by President Ruto to support her even though he did not consider her when he recalled some of her former colleagues to his broad-based Cabinet.

Ruto lauded the former CS as a capable leader whose role in his administration was significant in driving the country forward, adding that Jumwa would play an important role in working with the Cabinet Secretaries in the development of the Coastal region, among them being former Mombasa Governor, Ali Hassan Joho.

“I will not leave Aisha Jumwa behind, she is my sister and we will walk together, I will not leave her behind. Isn’t she a woman of power?” Ruto asked, adding “I have decided to nominate Hassan Ali Joho to my government, let him come together with Aisha Jumwa and work together."

The Thursday edition of Taifa Leo, a Swahili publication led with the headline ‘Wajuta Kuunga Ruto’ (They regret supporting Ruto) and plastered faces of 10 Kenya Kwanza leaders who once headed major dockets in the government including the two, former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi and former Lands CS Zachary Njeru on their cover.

However, some of the politicians included in the spread like Linturi, former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala, and former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri are quoted in the publication confirming the claims that they have long been forgotten, and some even left jobless.

"Going into the 2022 elections, we committed ourselves and ensured President Ruto won. However,  I regret failing to sign a contract to secure my interests. When others were using their parties to sign contracts, Gachagua and I trusted him. Now we are both jobless,” Linturi stated.

“Our president was a very good person but when Raila and his allies came into the government, it has caused a lot of division in Kenya Kwanza. I pray to God that President Ruto sees the light again,” Ngunjiri said.

Malala recently claimed that he never thought President Ruto would betray him and hung his former Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, out to dry by failing to stop the Senate from impeaching him while he was admitted to hospital.

“How could you President William Ruto be so bitter? Your deputy is sick in the hospital and you are still fighting him. President, we helped you and stood by you but we did not know you would become a person who does not care about his friends. We leave everything to God,” Malala is quoted as saying.