{"id":134639,"date":"2026-03-18T10:02:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T10:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-matiangi-trade-fresh-barbs-in-growing-political-feud\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T10:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T10:02:58","slug":"ruto-matiangi-trade-fresh-barbs-in-growing-political-feud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-matiangi-trade-fresh-barbs-in-growing-political-feud\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto, Matiangi Trade Fresh Barbs in Growing Political Feud"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 18-President William Ruto has dismissed criticism from opposition leaders over his recent remarks, saying there is nothing wrong with eating bananas but urging former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang\u2019i to \u2018moderate his portions.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The exchange is the latest in a series of sharp political barbs between the President and opposition figures, sparked by comments from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard them responding arrogantly yesterday, saying, \u2018We don\u2019t eat at your place; we eat bananas.\u2019 My friends, there is nothing wrong with eating bananas. I also eat them, but reduce the portions,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never said you eat at my house, but if you were eating at my place, I would have reduced your portions just as I am reducing my own food intake,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Presidential hopeful Fred Matiang\u2019i on Tuesday fired back at President William Ruto, calling for respect and maturity in leadership as the political temperature ahead of 2027 continues to rise.<\/p>\n

Speaking in Narok while meeting Jubilee Party delegates, Matiang\u2019i took issue with remarks by President Ruto, who had earlier mocked his opponents weight and eating habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cKwanza mimi nauliza wengine waende gym\u2026 Wacheni kula chakula mingi\u2026 Tumbo karibu inaparsuka\u2026\u201d Ruto said, in comments widely seen as targeting opposition leaders.<\/p>\n

In his response Matiang\u2019i, said he has always avoided attacking the President out of respect for the office.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all mimi sijui kwa nini unasumbuka vile nakula kwa sababu mimi sikuli kwa bibi yako. Mimi hujaona\u2026 yeah, hujaona nikija\u2026 yeah, hujaona nikija kutafuta chakula kwa bibi yako ama kwa watu wako,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI respect the office of the President. Katiba yetu inaonyesha wazi that the person in that office is a symbol of national unity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that he has deliberately chosen to stay away from personal attacks, even when under pressure to respond.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like talking about personal things or attacking other leaders. We must be the change that we desire,\u201d Matiang\u2019i told the crowd.<\/p>\n

Matiang\u2019i warned that the country risks lowering the dignity of leadership if politicians continue engaging in insults and personal jabs.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenyans expect those who seek leadership to be measured, mature and decent\u2014even in the language we use,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He expressed concern that young people are watching closely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatoto wetu hawawezi kuamka asubuhi watupate tukitukanana. That destroys the image of leadership,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Matiang\u2019i suggested that the President\u2019s tone signals pressure as political competition intensifies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he is going this low, it means he is cornered and desperate,\u201d Matiang\u2019i claimed.<\/p>\n

He urged religious leaders and senior government officials to advise the President to tone down.<\/p>\n

\u201cMwambie atulie\u2026 you are carrying a very heavy responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

An escalating political feud has been ongoing between President William Ruto and his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, which has taken a personal turn,with the two leaders now trading remarks that observers say amount to body shaming.<\/p>\n

What began as a political fallout is quickly escalating into a nasty war of words, as both sides intensify their campaigns ahead of the 2027 presidential race.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Gachagua who has declared his mission to block President Ruto from securing a second term mocked the President\u2019s appearance during a public address.<\/p>\n

\u201cNa uzuri atakiwa na hiyo pesa yote halali. Si umeona amekonda mpaka masikio imekuja juu? Heh? Mmeona?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gachagua\u2019s remarks appeared to suggest that President Ruto is allegedly amassing wealth improperly, while also taking a swipe at his physical features.<\/p>\n

But President Ruto did not stay silent.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, while responding to critics, the Head of State fired back in a blunt and equally personal attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cKwanza mimi nauliza wengine waende gym. Kwanza. Wacheni kula chakula mingi. Tumbo karibu inaparsuka. Kichwa karibu inaparsuka. Mnalala kwa mkutano mchana. Ata hewa mnaharibu. Kwendeni kabisa. Bure!\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

His remarks, widely interpreted as targeting political opponents, have further fueled criticism that leaders are now crossing the line from policy debates into personal insults.<\/p>\n

Kenya\u2019s political scene has long been known for heated exchanges.<\/p>\n

The latest trend of body-related insults however has marked a new low, raising concerns about the tone of the 2027 campaign with more than a year before campaigns officially kick off.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 18-President William Ruto has dismissed criticism from opposition leaders over his recent remarks, saying there is nothing wrong with eating bananas but urging former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang\u2019i to \u2018moderate his portions.\u2019 The exchange is the latest in a series of sharp political barbs between the President and opposition figures, sparked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134639\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}