Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has challenged President William Ruto's claim that former President Uhuru Kenyatta is behind efforts by opposition leaders to challenge his administration.
The exchange followed an interview in which Ruto was asked to explain the evidence supporting allegations that Uhuru is sponsoring Sifuna and other leaders associated with the Linda Mwananchi movement.
When asked directly where the evidence was, Ruto pointed to a newspaper report rather than providing details of financial support, meetings or other forms of coordination involving the former president.
“You work for the Nation, right? Can you check the Sunday Nation headline of August 2. What was the headline? It says ‘Uhuru super coalition against Ruto’. You answered yourselves,” Ruto said.
The President went on to cite his 2022 election victory as evidence that he had overcome opposition from Uhuru, who was then serving as president.
“Despite everything he did, I won the elections,” Ruto said.
Sifuna seized on the response, questioning why the President would rely on a newspaper headline when asked to provide concrete evidence of Uhuru's alleged involvement in opposition politics.
In a sarcastic reaction, the senator said Ruto had been presented with a straightforward question but responded by referring to what he had read in a newspaper.
“The man who has carried all the intelligence of Kenya was asked a very simple question: to provide evidence that Uhuru is the sponsor of the opposition, and he said he also read it in the newspaper—and he claims that we are the fools,” Sifuna said.
The disagreement highlights the increasingly sharp political exchanges surrounding the 2027 General Election, with Ruto facing growing efforts by opposition figures to establish a united political front.
Uhuru's name has continued to feature prominently in discussions about the opposition's possible coalition-building efforts, despite the former president having largely maintained a lower public profile since leaving office.
Ruto and Uhuru were once political allies, serving together under the Jubilee administration after winning the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections.
Their relationship deteriorated during Ruto's second term as deputy president, eventually culminating in Uhuru supporting Azimio la Umoja candidate Raila Odinga in the 2022 presidential election.
Sifuna's latest remarks are expected to further fuel debate over Uhuru's current political influence and whether the former president is actively involved in efforts to build an alternative political force ahead of the 2027 polls.