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After a brief lull from Kenyan politics, Roots Party leader Prof George Wajackoyah is back with a bang, lambasting President William Ruto for using Kenya as a guinea pig to test his ideas.

Appearing on K24 TV talk show, Wajackoyah who has notched up his criticism of President Ruto, singled out the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) which he termed as a shambolic scheme that was rolled out without proper planning and thinking.

Wajackoyah said that as things stand now, SHIF may not work due to lack of planning and the rush by President Ruto’s government to force it down the throats of Kenyans with all its challenges.

“There is no need to roll out half-baked schemes, already money has been looted and people were not involved from the start. A proper policy should be people-oriented,” he insisted, adding that most of the hospitals are not taking notice of SHIF because there is no clear-cut policy.

He expressed frustration with the current Kenya Kwanza administration, disclosing that this dissatisfaction has motivated his decision to run once more for the top office. Wajackoyah, who announced that he would be on the ballot in the next General Election, is the latest entrant to the crowded 2027 presidential race seeking to unseat the incumbent President Ruto.

Others are his former co-principals in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya alliance including Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Narc Kenya’s Martha Karua, Busia Senator Okiyah Omtatah and former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Nelson Havi.

Wajackoyah came fourth in the 2022 polls after garnering 61,969 votes, in a contest that was squared out between four men.

Wajackoyah attributed his poor performance in the last general elections to a misunderstanding of his manifesto, which had stipulated controversial measures to grow the economy by the public.

While defending his last manifesto, which advocated for legalising commercial farming of bhang, Wajackoyah revealed that he will be reinstating the issue in his new manifesto for the 2027 bid.

“I was advocating for hemp, not the normal bhang plant that people smoke. Hemp has its domestic and commercial benefits,” he said when he appeared in a mid-morning show on K24 TV.

Youthful exuberance
However, he said that he has started engaging the church leaders and the public to establish what was in his manifesto so that he can consider their input in a new document.

“People didn’t understand me. The Anglican bishops who used to see me as bonkers are now engaging me. Hemp that I was talking about is used in making beauty products, manufacture of warships, heavy artillery and combat vehicles,” he explained.

He said that hemp farming which he eyed to roll out in Tana River would have turned around the economy owing to its high price globally.

The party leader Wajackoyah criticised the government over the killing of Gen Z protesters during their anti-finance bill protests and failing to create enough jobs for them.

“The government of President Ruto is very wrong on what they have done. We don’t see the government’s plans to employ the youth. The government has created a squad to kill our children and it is very wrong,” he lamented.

He expressed confidence that he will bag the support of youth as he vies for the presidency in the coming general elections.

He also lashed out at opposition leaders saying they had betrayed the public by being swayed into seeking support through sympathy instead of championing for better governance from the Kenya Kwanza administration.

He dismissed who he said were faking out from the opposition, claiming that they are now the opposition leaders, yet they are not telling Kenyans what needs to be done to regenerate the economy.

“If you are fighting for democracy, remain on that lane. Don’t change to seek sympathy from one tribe or another. Kikuyu as a nation is here to stay and nobody will tamper with it,” he said.

The controversial politician believes former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is to blame for his own woes.

Despite supporting post-election dialogue between Ruto and Raila Odinga, Wajackoyah stated that the President did not form the broad-based government out of free will but was forced by the prevailing circumstances which had threatened to destabilise the government.

“The president had been pushed into a corner and he needed someone to bail him from the problems he had,” he said, revealing that he had has turned down numerous offers for Cabinet Secretary posts which have been advanced to him by President Ruto.

Additionally, he said that his party had not officially joined the Azimio alliance and also ruled out the possibility of entering a coalition agreement with Kalonzo and Eugene Wamalwa.

“I was not part of Azimio. I was a friend of Azimio. I never signed an agreement with Azimio. I am not part of the Kalonzo-Eugene group. I can go to speak with them, but I am not going to be part of it because you cannot come here and superimpose yourself on people,” he said.

Wajackoyah said those who will vie for elective posts through the Roots Party will be thoroughly vetted to ensure that those with clean track records get tickets.

He cautioned that the party will only pick fresh blood, people who have never served in government as CSs to guard his party from being used as a conduit for theft.