Ruto’s meltdown and rising political temperatures

Kenyan President William Ruto has in recent days come under widespread criticism for mocking and body-shaming his political rivals, with the opposition and civil society groups warning such remarks could inflame tensions ahead of the 2027 elections.

The President, while addressing public meetings in western Kenya on Wednesday, launched a barrage of personalised attacks on opposition leaders, making references to their physical fitness, eating habits, sexual life, and family relationships.

“They should reduce the portion and also exercise so they do not sleep or break wind during meetings. They should reduce the weight, and maybe then they will have an agenda and then come to face me in 2027,” he said.

Although Ruto didn’t refer to the opposition leaders by their names, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and former Cabinet ministers Fred Matiang’i and Eugene Wamalwa, have since reacted to Dr Ruto’s rants, accusing him of stooping too low and demeaning the Presidency.

The three are key figures in the United Alternative Government, a grouping of major political parties negotiating a pre-election alliance to challenge the President’s Kenya Kwanza Coalition in the 2027 elections, including fielding a single presidential candidate.

The opposition mobilises under a platform to make Ruto a one-term president. It has sustained its own attacks on Ruto, accusing him of presiding over corruption and a campaign of State-sponsored killings, forced disappearances and abductions in the wake of the Gen Z protests in June and July 2024.

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The President has, during that period, appeared keen to keep his cool, dismissing his rivals as lacking a credible election agenda while playing up his administration’s achievements. But this week, he flew into a rage after Gachagua publicly questioned his health, dramatically describing signs of his noticeable weight loss in recent months. Responding to the former DP’s epithets, Ruto put his weight loss down to personal discipline in observing a fitness and healthy diet regime.

“I am intelligent enough to know when to cut weight so that I can concentrate on what I want to do. I am disciplined enough to know how much I should eat so that I can stay alert,” he said.

President Ruto’s uncharacteristic emotional meltdown this week underlined how sensitive he and his government have become to public speculation about his health.

Most of the critics of President Ruto and his political rivals trading personal insults publicly this week have taken issue with the lack of decorum displayed by the leaders.

But, an even more serious concern about the slugfest is that it might signal rising political temperatures as the country heads to 2027.

The report of the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence, popularly known as the Waki Commission, found that hate speech was extensively used to incite ethnic violence during Kenya's 2007-2008 post-election crisis. The commission documented cases of politicians circulating inflammatory messages via SMS, local radio, and blogs to trigger violence.

With the next elections still 16 months away and politicians already going bare-knuckled, the fears being expressed may not be unfounded.