Chuka Igamba Ng’ombe MP Patrick Munene could barely contain his rage as he launched a blistering attack on the anti-Ruto camp, which he accused of relentlessly spreading falsehoods that the massive crowds welcoming the president during his Mt Kenya tour are being paid.
Speaking while accompanying the president on his visit to Tharaka Nithi County on April 4, 2025, Munene did not hold back in his fiery tirade, branding the critics as bitter enemies of progress who were hell-bent on tarnishing the reputation of the entire Mt Kenya region.
According to the MP, popularly known as ‘Parto’, the overwhelming turnouts cheering Ruto were made up of genuine, enthusiastic citizens eager to show support for their leader while simultaneously holding him accountable by demanding tangible development projects.
“You promised to construct the Chuka-Kaanwa-Kaereni road, and now the work is progressing. Ignore these leaders who wander aimlessly, then turn around and claim no work is being done. There is too much propaganda from those who want to drag Mt Kenya’s name through the mud. The same people who were asking for money are now misleading their followers, claiming that whenever you visit Mt Kenya, the crowds are bought. But the people standing here today have come because of their own economic interests.”
Munene passionately defended the crowds, insisting that not a single individual from Mt Kenya had received a single shilling to cheer for the head of state.
He drove his point home by pointing to the massive turnout in Tharaka Nithi County, arguing that the people had gathered not for handouts but because of major projects such as the Chuka General Hospital, which urgently required ICU equipment.
“We are here because of our roads, because of our hospital—Chuka General—which we want to be fully equipped with ICU machines. Your Excellency, that is why these people are here.”
Anti-Ruto leaders
Further, Munene took a direct swipe at an unnamed leader whom he accused of orchestrating resistance against Ruto’s visits to Mt Kenya while hypocritically being the very person who had previously encouraged locals to demand hefty bribes in exchange for attending political rallies.
He was quick to clarify that, unlike the perceptions being peddled by anti-Ruto leaders, the people of Mt Kenya were not interested in being paid to welcome the president.
Instead, they understood the greater, long-term benefits that would come from showing him a dignified reception.
“Now there is a certain person who has normalised demanding KSh 10 billion and assumes that everyone else is as greedy as him. He thinks that just because he asks for money, every other person is also demanding payment. He is the same person who told people that whenever they attend rallies, they should demand KSh 5,000 or KSh 2,000. What nonsense! He is used to extorting money, but we are here because we want development.”
Gachagua and Kindiki
As he wound up his speech, Munene took a ruthless jab at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of trying to lure Kithure Kindiki into political missteps, just as he himself had strayed from the right path.
Mocking Gachagua, he reminded him that during his tenure as deputy president, he had squandered his golden opportunity through arrogance and an obsession with money, always placing personal financial gain above political loyalty.
He bluntly told him that his ill-fated political ambitions were now a thing of the past.
“They are now trying to undermine this Deputy President just because he is focused on his job, but they should stop lecturing Kindiki. They claim he is not fighting the president enough, but that man should stop giving Kindiki unsolicited advice on how to operate. We saw his tactics; we saw his methods—the pride, the greed, the endless demands for money—and we all saw where that got him. He can keep moving.”
In the same address, Munene jumped to the defence of National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, pushing back against the hostility he faced in Nyandarua.
He described Ichung’wah as an exceptionally competent leader, brushing off the claims that he was unpopular, and instead praised his efficiency in ensuring that budgets are swiftly approved in Parliament.
Heaping praise on him, Munene assured Ichung’wah that he should neither be intimidated nor allow himself to be swayed by those who were actively working to bring him down.
“Finally, about Ichung’wah—some people were booing him the other day. But let me tell you, when he is handling your business in Parliament, this man is a machine! When he says something will move, it moves. Ichung’wah, keep going with your work.”