Matiang’i responds to Ruto’s gym advice, urges him not to lower presidency to food debates
By Mustafa Juma, March 17, 2026Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiang’i has hit back at President William Ruto’s remarks about opposition leaders’ weight.
Speaking in Narok on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, during the opening of a Jubilee Party office, Matiang’i urged the Head of State not to reduce the presidency to debates about food and fitness.
Ruto’s gym jab
President Ruto, while speaking in Cheptais, Mt Elgon in Bungoma County during his tour of the Western region, had encouraged opposition leaders to go to the gym.
Ruto argued that the opposition leaders’ ‘big bellies’ could be behind their struggles to stay awake during official meetings.
“Kwanza nawaambia baadhi yenu mwende gym; acheni kula chakula kingi. Matumbo yamejaa hadi vichwa vinakaribia kupasuka. Mnalala kwenye mikutano hata mchana,” Ruto said.
Matiang’i hits back
In response, Matiang’i noted that although he respects the presidency, he was perturbed by the Head of State’s remarks against the leaders of the opposition, questioning why Ruto could be concerned about what they eat.
“Rais wetu mimi namheshimu, na naheshimu ofisi yake. Ndio maana mimi sijaongea mambo yake mbeleni. Lakini leo ameanza sasa kukutusi sisi, watu wote wa opposition,” he said.
The former interior cabinet secretary emphasised that the country, six decades after independence, deserves leadership that focuses on pressing national issues rather than personal attacks over diet and body shape.
“Yaani, nchi yetu leo, six decades after independence, ati at a presidential campaign level, tuanze kuongea mambo ya kukula. Ati nani anakula zaidi, nani anakula wapi. I am doing this with a lot of pain.
He further defended his own dietary habits, joking about his visits to Kisii for local food, and questioned why Ruto seemed bothered by what he eats.
“First of all, mimi sijui kwanini unasumbuka vile mimi nakula, kwa sababu mimi sikuli kwa bibi yako. Hujaniona nikienda kutafuta chakula kwa bibi yako ama kwa watu wako. Mimi nakula ndizi kule Kisii kwetu na ugali. Sasa kama hiyo ndio inakusumbua, mbona mimi sijakuja kukuuliza vile wewe umekonda?” Matiang’i quipped.
Standard of the presidency
The CS also reminded Kenyans of the standards set by former presidents, including Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki, and Uhuru Kenyatta, stressing that the presidency should uphold dignity and focus on national issues.
“Tuko na heshima kubwa kwa hii nchi, na ile standard imeekwa na waliotangulia, Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki na Uhuru Kenyatta; hiyo ndio standard tunataka kwa hiyo ofisi ya rais. Lakini sasa unataka kuibua mjadala wa kukula, ili sasa tuanze kusema ni nani amekula mashamba hapa Narok. Unataka tuongee hiyo kweli?” he said.
“Tumbo lisiloshiba linajulikana ni la nani. Unataka twende kwa huo mjadala badala ya kuzungumzia shida za wakenya. Pesa imepotea ya SHA, upororaji wa mali ya serikali unaendelea, unataka tuzungumzie hiyo kweli? We have really restrained ourselves.”
The verbal spar comes amid growing tensions between the ruling government and opposition leaders, with both sides increasingly engaging in personal jabs ahead of the 2027 general elections.