NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 18 — Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has dismissed as false claims that DCP Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua visited the homestead of his grandmother during a door-to-door campaign in Mbeere North, terming the allegation propaganda meant to mislead the public.
Addressing a rally in Muminji, Embu County, where he was campaigning for United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Leonard Muriuki Wamuthende ahead of a November 27 by-election, CS Ruku refuted reports suggesting Gachagua had paid a visit to his grandmother’s home.
“I want to tell you, Rigathi Gachagua, to stop lying to Kenyans. Yesterday you woke up and went to a grandmother’s homestead and told Kenyans that she was CS Ruku’s grandmother. That is stupidity,” the Cabinet Secretary said.
Ruku categorically dismissed the claim, stressing that both of his parents died many years ago and that it would therefore be impossible for a grandmother to still be alive.
“If I don’t have a mother — she died a long time ago — and I don’t have a father — he also died a long time ago, and you people of Muminji know that — will my grandmother be alive, surely?” he posed to the crowd.
‘Amplified lies’
He also accused sections of the media of amplifying the narrative without verifying facts, saying this contributed to “lies and confusion” in the public domain.
“I have seen some media houses carrying the story without verifying the facts. They are used to lying to the public, causing violence and confusion, and we want to tell them we won’t allow it,” he warned.
Ruku reaffirmed his support for UDA’s candidate in the upcoming Mbeere North by-election, urging residents to elect Leonard Muriuki Wamuthende to ensure continued government development in the region.
“I want to tell the people of Mbeere North to elect our candidate, Leonard Muriuki Wamuthende, so that we can push the actualization of government development in the region,” he said.
The seat fell vacant following Ruku’s appointment to the Cabinet, and the race has drawn high-profile attention from both government and opposition camps.
