President William Ruto has responded sharply to claims made by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua that he is using public resources to build roads to a private hotel in Meru.
Speaking during his visit to Meru on Saturday, June 21, 2025, where he attended the 10th Annual Dairy Farmers Field Day, Ruto dismissed the accusations as baseless propaganda, insisting he has every right to invest in any part of Kenya, including Meru.
“Mimi nitarudi hapa vile niliwaambia, ili tuweze kupanga mambo ya Meru. Ati mimi nitakuwa na makao hapa, wale wanaongea hivi hivi watado? Watafanya nini?”
Translation: “I will return here as I had promised, so we can plan Meru’s development. They’re saying I’ll have a base here, so what? What will they do?”
Ruto was reacting to remarks made a day earlier by Gachagua, now leader of the Democratic Change Party (DCP), who claimed that the president was building a road to serve a hotel he owns in Meru. Gachagua accused Ruto of prioritising personal gain over public service, and urged locals to boycott the hotel.
“Nguvu yetu ni kukaa tukiwa pamoja. Sasa wewe Kasongo, badala utujengee barabara ya kutupelekea mazao kwa factoria, wewe unajenga barabara ya kuenda kwa hoteli yako, na unafikiria Wameru ni wajinga watakuja kukunywa chai katika hoteli yako… Kasongo anyolewe, asinyolewe,” Gachagua said on Friday, June 20, 2025.
Translation: “Our strength is in staying united. But you, Kasongo, instead of building roads to take our produce to factories, you’re building a road to your hotel. Do you think the people of Meru are fools who will come drink tea at your hotel? Kasongo should be shaved, or not?”
PHOTO/@rigathi/X
Ruto defends Meru investments
But the president said such talk is driven by envy and political desperation.
“Mimi nikihama hapa Meru, kwani Meru si Kenya? Naskia kuna wengine wanatembeza propaganda ati ooh sasa William Ruto amekuwa investor Meru. Mimi nikikuwa investor Meru kwani kuna makosa?”
Translation: “If I move to Meru, isn’t Meru still part of Kenya? I hear some people are spreading propaganda, saying William Ruto is now an investor in Meru. If I’m an investor here, what’s wrong with that?”
He urged Meru residents to ignore the “noise” and stay focused on development.
“Tujenge Meru tusijenge Meru? Sasa hiyo upuzi wakwende nayo kabisa.”
Translation: “Should we build Meru or not? That nonsense, let them go with it.”
Gachagua, who was removed as Deputy President in late 2024, has been on a combative campaign against the Ruto administration, claiming he was unfairly kicked. He now claims President Ruto has turned Meru into his private playground while abandoning the region’s real needs.
The war of words highlights deepening political cracks between the president and his former deputy, with Meru emerging as a key battleground in the run-up to 2027.
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a digital writer with over five years of experience. He graduated in February 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from The Co-operative University of Kenya. He has written news and feature stories for platforms such as Construction Review Online, Sports Brief, Briefly News, and Criptonizando. In 2023, he completed a course in Digital Investigation Techniques with AFP. He joined K24 Digital in May 2025. For inquiries, he can be reached at [email protected].
