Mbadi rules out tea and coffee as reasons Mt Kenya is angry with Ruto
By David Nthua, July 2, 2026National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi now believes that the Mt Kenya region is not angry with President William Ruto because he has failed its tea, coffee, or milk sectors.
Mbadi, who spoke to a local TV station on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, did not mince his words.
He went straight to the point, stating that while the region has benefited from improvements in key agricultural sectors, the real political grievance is the removal of former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua from office.
“Today, the people from Mlima, I don’t hear them complaining about tea, coffee, or milk. They are complaining about being betrayed.
“How they are betrayed is that Wamunyoro (Rigathi Gachagua) has been removed from office,” Mbadi said.
Mt Kenya anger
Mbadi’s remarks place Mt. Kenya’s political mood at the center of the succession debate ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Treasury CS appeared to suggest that the region’s anger is not primarily economic but political.
In his view, the people of the mountain are not saying Ruto failed them on tea, coffee, or milk but are instead expressing resentment over how Gachagua was pushed out of power.
His argument gives the government a political line of defense: that Ruto’s administration has delivered or made progress in sectors directly touching Mt Kenya farmers, but the debate has been overshadowed by Gachagua’s impeachment and the emotional politics around it.
The former Deputy President has, since leaving office, presented himself as the voice of a betrayed region and has repeatedly accused the government of sidelining Mt Kenya after using its votes in 2022.
Ol Kalou tensions
Mbadi’s remarks came amid a heated exchange between Gachagua and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen over rising political temperatures in Ol Kalou ahead of the by-election to replace the late David Njuguna Kiaraho.
In a Facebook post, Gachagua accused Murkomen of sending a group to disrupt campaigns linked to the Democracy for the Citizens Party.
“Mr Kipchumba Murkomen has dispatched the Nairobi Sierra Killer Squad that attacked Witima ACK church to cause mayhem in Ol Kalou.
“They arrived three hours ago and started abductions and indiscriminate beatings on DCP campaigners.
“Our teams are held up at the Royal Garden Hotel under brutal police and State-sponsored militia. Goons are currently breaking into the Hotel. Thank you, Ol Kolou people, for resisting this killer squad,” Gachagua wrote.
The incident details shared by Gachagua had not been independently verified by the time of publication. The story will be updated if security agencies issue an official response.
Murkomen’s response
Murkomen fired back at Gachagua, accusing him of political theatrics and warning against violence in Ol Kalou.
“Mr. Rigathi Gachagua, we know your gimmicks and juvenile attempts at reverse psychology. Try violence in Ol Kalou and you will see.
“To anyone being recruited to violence by Mr. Gachagua, keep off because the consequences will be dire,” Murkomen wrote.
The exchange shows how the battle for Mt. Kenya and neighboring regions is moving beyond ordinary campaign messaging into a direct confrontation between Gachagua’s camp and senior figures in Ruto’s administration.
Mbadi’s remarks, therefore, land in a politically charged moment.
While he argues that Mt. Kenya’s frustration is not about tea, coffee, or milk, Gachagua’s allies continue to frame the region’s anger as betrayal, intimidation, and exclusion from power.
With 2027 drawing closer, the contest for Mt. Kenya is no longer just about development figures.
It is now about loyalty, memory, betrayal, and who controls the political story of the mountain after Gachagua’s fall.