Lawyer Ndegwa Njiru has taken aim at the newly formed alliance between President William Ruto and KANU chairman Gideon Moi, branding it a desperate attempt by two embattled politicians to salvage their political futures.
His criticism comes as KANU moves to formally join Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration following a surprise truce between the two former rivals.
In a message posted on X, Njiru accused the two leaders of clinging to each other for survival, saying their reconciliation would not change public sentiment.
“Fellow patriots, the Ruto–Gideon Moi handshake is nothing more than a case of two drowning men holding onto each other, hoping to float but they will both sink,” he wrote.
Njiru went on to claim that no political union could rescue President Ruto from what he described as public rejection.
“President Ruto can’t campaign his way out of rejection, and no ‘union’ will erase the fact that Kenyans want him gone,” he stated.
The Ruto–Moi deal has already reshaped the political scene in the Rift Valley. Following the truce, Gideon Moi withdrew his candidature in the upcoming Baringo senatorial by-election in favour of a UDA candidate.
The move is widely viewed as a gesture of loyalty ahead of KANU’s expected entry into the Kenya Kwanza government as part of Ruto’s plan to build a broad-based administration.
The agreement could strengthen Ruto’s hold on the Rift Valley while offering Moi a path back into active politics.
However, critics like Njiru argue that such alignments are more about convenience than conviction, reflecting the transactional nature of Kenyan politics.
Public opinion has been divided, with some welcoming the reconciliation as a sign of unity and others dismissing it as political opportunism.
For Njiru, the deal symbolizes a larger struggle among Kenya’s political elite to stay relevant ahead of the 2027 elections.