UDA Launches Scathing Broadside Against Uhuru Over Ruto Feud

By James Murimi - Reporter

Kenya, May 26, 2026 - The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party has launched one of its fiercest political attacks yet against former President Uhuru Kenyatta, accusing him of wrecking the economy before leaving office and secretly plotting the downfall of President William Ruto.

In a fiery open letter released on Monday evening and signed by UDA Chairperson Cecily Mbarire and Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan, the party accused Mr Kenyatta of “intense bitterness, fierce jealousy, endless envy, and toxic obsession” with his former deputy turned political rival.

“William Ruto is now the President of the Republic of Kenya. That is a reality you must live with and accept,” the letter stated.

The explosive statement claimed the former Head of State left behind “one of the most broken governments in Kenya’s modern history” and alleged that his administration deliberately sabotaged the economy before the 2022 transition.

“You openly confessed that you expected Kenya to collapse within three months of President William Ruto taking office because your administration had deliberately wrecked the economy so badly,” UDA claimed.

The party further accused Mr Kenyatta of engineering an economic crisis to ensure Dr Ruto’s administration failed.

“You were convinced that the country would crash under the weight of the failures and economic sabotage your administration had engineered,” the statement added.

In the unusually combative letter, UDA defended the Kenya Kwanza administration’s economic record, saying Dr Ruto inherited “a ticking time bomb” but managed to stabilise the country.

“Kenya did not default despite the economic landmines you left behind. Inflation has eased, interest rates are stabilising, confidence is gradually returning,” the party said.

The ruling party also sought to contrast the two administrations by highlighting ongoing reforms in agriculture, housing, healthcare and infrastructure.

On agriculture, the party claimed fertiliser prices had dropped from Sh7,500 to Sh2,500 per bag under Dr Ruto, while coffee prices had tripled.

“Coffee farmers were left at the mercy of cartels and exploitation, earning miserable returns of barely KSh50 per kilo,” the letter stated of the previous regime.

“Today, William Ruto has revived the sector you nearly killed,” it added.

UDA also used the statement to defend the controversial Affordable Housing Programme, accusing Mr Kenyatta of abandoning the project out of “cowardice, indecision, and political fear.”

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“Where you retreated, he advanced; where you hesitated, he acted decisively,” the party charged.

The letter further accused the former President of failing to complete major infrastructure projects, including the Mau Summit Road and expansion works at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

“For an entire decade, all Kenyans got from you were excuses and endless announcements,” UDA stated regarding the stalled Mau Summit Road project.

The ruling party also mocked the former President over the stalled airport expansion project.

“Kenyans still remember how, early in your tenure, you proudly walked around JKIA launching a so-called new terminal project. Ten years later, nothing meaningful had materialised beyond erecting a canvas tent on the tarmac — a national embarrassment,” the statement read.

On healthcare, UDA accused the former administration of turning the defunct NHIF into “a corruption pit drowning in debt,” while praising the current government’s rollout of the Social Health Authority.

The statement also ventured into the politically sensitive youth protests debate, accusing Mr Kenyatta of fuelling anti-government anger among young Kenyans.

“You are increasingly inciting young people against the government, exploiting their frustrations and emotions not to build the country, but to advance your political bitterness and vendetta,” the party claimed.

UDA alleged that despite Dr Ruto reaching out to his predecessor after taking office for the sake of national unity, Mr Kenyatta rejected cooperation and instead retreated into “bitterness and political vengeance.”

“Since leaving office, you have dedicated yourself to undermining the very government you handed over,” the statement added.

The hard-hitting letter ended with a direct appeal to the former Head of State to rise above political rivalry and act like a statesman.

“It is time you stepped up and conducted yourself like a former Head of State, like the statesman Kenya expects you to be,” the party stated.

The extraordinary public attack lays bare the deepening fallout between the two former allies as political tensions continue to escalate ahead of the 2027 General Election.