‘Leaders eat last’ – Kalonzo hits back at Ruto over Tseikuru road
By Kenneth Mwenda, January 10, 2026Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka has revisited the road debate with President William Ruto, praising new infrastructure while reaffirming his decades-long service in public office. Speaking during the funeral of the late Mzee Jonathan Kiilu in Machakos, Kalonzo congratulated Governor Wavinya Ndeti for the road which led mourners to the ceremony.
“Governor Wavinya, congratulations for that road. That road, I’m so happy haiendi kwa nyumba yangu. Inaenda kwa watu. I will give some of these leaders a book entitled Leaders Eat Last. Kama ni kiongozi, ngoja watoto kwanza wakule. Sio wewe unashiba alafu watoto wanalala njaa,” Kalonzo said.
His comments came after Wavinya asked the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua if they enjoyed the road, signalling its importance.
The Kalonzo – Ruto dispute began after the President criticised Kalonzo over infrastructure in his home area. In Kiambu, Ruto said the road leading to Kalonzo’s home was dusty and muddy, mocking his decades in politics.
“If you can’t build your own road, you will build someone else’s. In 40 years you haven’t built a road to your own. How many hundred years do you need to build a road for other Kenyans?” Ruto asked.
Kalonzo defends road legacy
Kalonzo rejected Ruto’s claims, insisting his political career spans 40 years, not 50 as the President had suggested. He highlighted major projects he oversaw, including the road from Kibwezi to Maua, passing through Mutomo, Kitui, Mwingi, Tseikuru, and linking Mombasa with Ethiopia.
“The 40 years were of serious experience. When I was Vice President, I launched the construction and got a Chinese contractor, Sinohydro, to build the road,” he explained.
The former vice president also defended his record on national infrastructure, citing his time as Kibaki’s deputy.
“Kenyans will remember I was Vice President to Kibaki; that is when ‘we’ built the Thika Highway,” Kalonzo said.
He framed his achievements as collective, emphasising benefits to citizens over personal gain.
The verbal exchange escalated after Ruto accused Kalonzo of taking credit for projects completed during the 2013–2017 administration. “He is claiming that he launched the road from Kibwezi to Mbondoni. I want to tell him to look for fools; there are no fools in Kenya anymore.
That road was not built by him. It was built by Uhuru and me when we took over the government, and we have the facts,” Ruto said.
Following the dispute, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) moved to upgrade the Tseikuru road. A tender notice issued on December 23, 2025, invites contractors to strengthen the Kandwia–Kyuso Road and upgrade the Kyuso–Tseikuru section to bitumen standards. The pre-tender site visit is scheduled for January 15, 2026, with submissions closing on February 5.