President William Ruto has accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of political betrayal, saying he supported Kenyatta’s two presidential campaigns only to be abandoned when he sought the presidency in 2022.

Ruto made the remarks on Monday, October 12, at rallies in Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties, at the start of a ten-day development tour of the North Rift region.

The President said he campaigned for Kenyatta in 2013 and 2017 on the understanding that the former Head of State would serve for a decade before backing his own presidential ambitions for a similar period.

He alleged that when his turn came, Kenyatta instead urged Kenyans not to vote for him.

Ruto also directed his remarks at opposition figures now allied with the former President, telling them to reconsider the association. He alleged that Kenyatta had similarly let down former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

He further claimed Kenyatta was responsible for Matiang’i’s departure from the country, an allegation not independently confirmed in the source material.

Ruto dismissed Kenyatta’s continued public criticism of his administration, accusing him of leaving behind a weak economy and a troubled education sector.

He called Kenyatta the most ungrateful person he has met.

The remarks are among Ruto’s most direct and sustained public attacks on his predecessor since taking office in September 2022. They come as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election, with several opposition figures currently allied with Kenyatta.

Kenyatta’s response to these specific accusations has not been reported.