Ruto and Kalonzo Clash in Bitter Row Over Kitui Infrastructure

What started as a debate over regional development has turned into a personal and political “gloves-off” brawl. Speaking during the Tobong’u Lore festival in Lodwar, President William Ruto didn’t hold back, using the state of the road leading to Kalonzo Musyoka’s rural home in Tseikuru as a metaphor for failed leadership.

President Ruto ridiculed the former Vice President’s long tenure in government, questioning why a leader with four decades of experience still drives on murram to his own doorstep.

“I asked a man who has been a leader for over 40 years why he has not built a road leading to his home,” Ruto told the cheering crowd. “If you have no brain to construct a road to your own place, how will you construct roads for other Kenyans?”

Ruto contrasted this with his own “hands-on” approach, sharing stories of the constant infrastructure upgrades on his own farm to illustrate his commitment to progress.

Kalonzo Musyoka was quick to respond, dismissing Ruto’s remarks as “cheap politics.” The Wiper leader insisted that he was the one who originally launched the Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kitui-Mwingi-Tseikuru-Maua road project during his time as Vice President, specifically naming the Chinese contractor Sinohydro.

“I want Ruto to deny that I commissioned Sinohydro to construct that road,” Kalonzo challenged. He accused the President of “rebranding” Jubilee and Kibaki-era projects to claim credit for work he didn’t start.

The President countered this historical account, insisting that it was only during the Jubilee administration (starting in 2016) under himself and former President Uhuru Kenyatta that the Kibwezi-Kitui road actually moved from paper to asphalt. This “credit-grabbing” tug-of-war is seen by many as a proxy battle for the Ukambani vote ahead of the 2027 General Election.