President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua enjoy a cup of tea with bread in the house of Mama Mirriam Njeri in Muranga County on August 9, 2024.
From shedding tears and kneeling in supplication in pulpits to win common man's acceptance in politics, President William Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua have now changed tact to that of showing up in hustlers' dining rooms.
In the past two weeks, the president and his deputy have released photos dining in semi-permanent homes of humble owners, mostly women.
On August 9, 2024 while on a working tour in Murang'a County, they entered Ms Miriam Njeri's house in Mathioya constituency where after locking out any other photographer apart from those attached to their communication departments, released photos showing them feasting on bread and tea.
Ms Njeri was also captured praying for the two national leaders after President Ruto outlined to her the electricity policy in the country for year 2024.
A background voice is heard asking for Sh300,000 "we give to this woman to thank her for her good hospitality".
The woman upon receiving the money is heard breaking into another bout of prayers beseeching God to bless the two leaders and their work as well as escape "the many traps of detractors set by agents of Satan".
Mama Caroline Wanjira, a beneficiary of last mile electricity project in Kirinyaga County offers a prayer to President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
This trend of photographs in homes of ordinary Kenyans sharing in tea and bread have been awash in the official social media pages of the two leaders, especially in their recent tours of Mt Kenya and the Gusii region.
But for the duo, this is not a new phenomenon. President Ruto fashioned his 2022 elections campaign around the “common man” — a roadside maize seller here, a boda boda rider there, and a green grocer there, and the occasional roadside eatery — all united in the belief that their voters’ card was more powerful than the deep state, the machinations of State, and a powerful opposition candidate Raila Odinga backed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
It was all in the script: Dr Ruto, himself having been a chicken seller in Turbo in Uasin Gishu County, taken under the wings of President Daniel Moi, took on incumbent Reuben Chesire in 1997 as a humble underdog. Mr Chesire was Moi's preferred candidate, as well as the Uasin Gishu Kanu branch chairman and an assistant Minister.
Dr Ruto would go on—riding on this script—to never lose a single election, except in 2010 when he sided with the ‘No’ side in the referendum on a new Constitution, but then used this to gauge his national appeal, and therefore his chances at the top job.
But for him, even the prayers that Ms Njeri offered is a part and parcel of his political journey and story.
The pulpit was one of the powerful platforms for the successful presidential ticket of Uhuru Kenyatta and Dr Ruto to bag the presidency in 2013. The trend has continued for the last 11 years.
Mr Gachagua has also perfected this strategy to be perceived as a humble man of the people. In his many retreats to his Mathira home, he is seen conversing with wananchi on roadsides, sharing meals and drinks in firewood lit smoky kitchens or taking morning walks together.
Among governance accountability demanded by the Gen Z protests that rocked the country for a month starting June this year was national policies that benefit all groups and accountability. The opulence and conspicuous consumption displayed by some politicians and public officials was also listed by protesters.
Further, the protestors also expressed opposition to the use of the church to play politics and launder their image.
According to Ms Margaret Njambi, 67, from Murang'a County, these encounters with big men and women in politics is rewarding.
President William Ruto enjoy a cup of tea at Mama Rachael Karwitha Kahihia’s New Eden Cafe in Nyeri Town.
"I met Ruto in 2021 and my life changed. At the time of meeting him, my daily income was about Sh200. He gave me Sh500,000 in cash and built for me a Sh1 million permanent house," she told Nation.Africa.
Ms Njambi, however, added that she did not receive the two grade cows promised.
“Once these politicians meet you, they recruit you into a cause of being their goodwill ambassador to brand them as common person’s friend," she said.
Ms Elizabeth Mugure says she met the president during the August 10, 2024 visit to Kirinyaga County and "just like that he spoke by eye contact to an aide and an envelope was stuck out my way".
She said the president most probably was touched by the baby she carried in the drizzling weather to cheer him into the county.
"The envelope contained Sh100,000. The highest amount I have ever counted in one sitting belonging to me was Sh6,000 that I had saved for 18 months. Today, even if Ruto he wants to rule this country for a lifetime, that is where my vote is," she said.
She revealed that prior to the president's visit, underground mobilisation had preceded "where three camps were enticing us to cheer at the top of our voices anytime they were handed the microphone to make addresses".
Michael Mwiti 26, says he was among the youths who at Kahuro market in Kiharu constituency had been mobilised to hand over a he-goat to the president.
"We had been given 60,000 to procure the prized animal, which we did at Sh24,000. We shared the rest—and that is why we were motivated enough to haul the he-goat to the president. He (Dr Ruto) improved my life and we beautified his rally," he said.
It was the same case on Wednesday when the President and his Deputy released another footage of them seated in the humble dining room of Ms Yunuke Nyanchongi 85, at Riasuta Itibonge Village in Kisii County.
Yunuke Nyanchongi, 85, shows President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua a paraffin lamp when she hosted them at her home in Kisii County.
"Earlier, we switched on power at the home of Ms Nyanchongi, shared light meal with her in her house and in appreciation gifted us a chicken," read one of the captions.
Political analyst Gasper Odhiambo dismisses these stunts as "inculcation of tokenism culture that has made nonsense of our politics".
He told Weekly Review that "this is the same politics that buys our young girls sanitary towels and pants only for them to be told to pose for a photograph with the donor politician while holding up those private wears for political publicity".
He added that this tokenism culture is behind the fiasco that is issuance of bursary funds cheques to poor families.
"The cheques are already drawn identifying the child and the school. Instead of just sending the cheques to those schools, politician’s demand that the parents show up in an open field to dance and ululate...it is useless politics that wastes economic man-hours," he said.
Githunguri MP Ms Gathoni wa Muchomba says the stunts have a tendency of leaving frustrations in their wake.
She gives an example of her constituent, Mrs Pauline Waithera Njoroge's plight that has been shrouded with controversy.
Mrs Njoroge 71, was one of the signatories that endorsed President Ruto’s nomination as a presidential candidate for the August 9, 2022 General Election. She was also among those who delivered a public speech at the Jumuia Conference Centre in Kiambu County on May 23, 2022 during the bottom-up model conference.
In this file picture, then Deputy President William Ruto and Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka are served tea with maandazi by Susan Mukhasia in a kiosk at Shianda market, Kakamega County.
Wamuchomba said Mrs Njoroge was later abandoned to a point she became a miser and was never invited even to witness Ruto swearing in ceremony on September 13, 2022.
Ms Wamuchomba said Ms Njoroge was used by UDA big wigs “where they removed her from her business and she ran out of stock as she became the face of Mama Mboga in Ruto’s campaigns”.
She said: “She is the one who proposed the Ruto candidacy …she was promised a bigger hustle and a prominent position in the Hustler government”.
The MP added that “if these things genuinely work, my constituent would have been given at least a million shillings to keep her well".
She said she is the one who ended up giving Ms Njoroge Sh100,000 after she felt it was a shame to still watch her suffer alone after the chief hustlers retreated into the trappings of power they had won partially because of using her as the selling point.
President William Ruto takes tea in a kiosk with residents of Bomwagamo, North Mugirango, Nyamira County.
She said a government that was founded on prayers “should be the least to hoodwink the poor"
The outspoken politician criticised the clergy for entertaining falsehoods and spread of despair and despondency in the presence of the pulpit.
Public Relations consultant, Crispin Mwenda says "politics encompasses marketing, advertising, public relations and propaganda.
All those aspects so as to reach people must be packaged in a mass media platform. It is up to you to appreciate or disapprove which eventually reflects in tallying centres as results".
He said: "All components of endearing oneself in a cause must be allowed to play out — unless we also want to frown upon ourselves for treating our friends to favours in pursuance of a cause...most notoriously in courtships".
Mr Mwenda said "you will be affronting an acceptable way of campaigning and where many benefit if you were to start saying making public donations, sharing meals and making physical visits are bad tricks in politics".
