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President William Ruto’s political career has seen him forge new alliances while also parting ways with allies in messy political divorces with Justin Muturi being the latest to join a growing list.
It is only after parting ways that his former allies open up on a persona they claim the president has succeeded in hiding from the public, but which makes working with him nearly impossible.
Here are some of the consequential and messy political fallouts that have shaped Ruto’s career.
Ruto & Uhuru: The marriage that failed the test of time
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From matching ties to bromance and camaraderie that Kenyans had not witnessed before, the pair had a chemistry and friendship that appeared solid.
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This changed during Uhuru’s second term in office, with Ruto at one point expressing fears over his lives and urging his family not to be roped in his personal wars.
With a lot of respect be a decent human being, we are the ones who helped you so stop pretending now, you have started threatening me but as long as you don't kill my children, let us respect each other.
The script changed shortly after Ruto ascended to the presidency with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta vowing to defend his family and urging Ruto to face him directly.
The fact that I have been silent does not mean I am scared. Come For me if it is me that you want. What has my mother got to do with it? What do my children have to do with it? When I was the President, I defended my country. I'm a retired man, I am protecting my family.
Raila & Ruto
Ruto’s political path converged with Raila Odinga’s in 2005 when they opposed the then proposed constitution in the orange camp.
It is from here that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party was formed with Ruto backing Odinga in the 2007 Presidential election and into the grand coalition government where he landed a slot in the cabinet.
Ruto declined to exit office, boldly stating that he had not received any communication from the appointing authority.
He quickly bolted out into United Republican Party that teamed up with The National Alliance party headed by Uhuru Kenyatta to sweep to victory in the 2013 elections.
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A surprise union between Odinga and Uhuru saw Ruto break ranks with his boss who supported Odinga in the 2022 elections.
READ: Ruto gets candid on Gachagua, Ndindi Nyoro, Cabinet reshuffles, political survival
In politics there are no permanent enemies or friends with the truce between Ruto and Raila in 2024 which was formalized with a Memorandum of Understanding and the formation of a broad-based government a demonstration of this.
Ruto & Gachagua: No sooner had it started than things fell apart
The fallout with Rigathi Gachagua was perhaps one of the most significant political divorces in Ruto’s career.
With both parties giving conflicting account of what really transpired, the truth of what really saw things fall apart just two years after they were elected remains unclear.
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While Ruto has claimed that Gachagua blackmailed him and demanded Sh10Billion for his political support, Gachagua maintains that he simply could not keep up with Ruto’s lies and was a lone voice in the cabinet challenging decisions that hurt voters.
READ: The Ruto Kenyans don’t know: What those who worked with Ruto said after fallout
With an established following in the Mount Kenya region, Gachagua has made his intention to make Ruto a one-term president clear.
Relationship with Justin Muturi, the man who claims to have secrets of Ruto’s dirty deals
Justin Muturi is the latest to make it to a growing list of politicians who have fallen out with Ruto, and maintains that the President is not fit to hold office.
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He maintains that Ruto is irredeemably corrupt, spilling details of shady deals and adding that the head of state instills fear in his cabinet especially in projects that he has vested interests where it is either “his way or the highway."
The fallout is the end of a chapter that saw him dump Uhuru for Ruto, serving as the Attorney General before taking up the Public Service docket.
From explosive details of shady deals allegedly orchestrated by Ruto to claims of intimidating the cabinet and holding it hostage while bulldozing projects that he has vested interest in, Muturi has his cup full of accusations against Ruto.
Alfred Mutua: From squeezing of the hand to handshake
While serving as the deputy president, Ruto had a fallout with Alfred Mutua who was then serving as the Machakos County governor.
Mutua convened a press conference in which he expressed fears over his life, claiming that Ruto had threatened him and squeezed his hand at one point at state house.
Ruto brushed off the claims and with time, their paths converged with Mutua and his Maendeleo Chap Chap party backing Ruto in an alliance that saw him land a slot in the cabinet.
His rise to the top has claimed many casualties and earned him political enemies, some of who are actively working to see him become the first Kenyan President to serve a single term in office.