The son of Tigania East Member of Parliament, Mpuru Aburi, Rodgers Kipembe, has issued a word of caution to President William Ruto.

Kipembe wrote on X on Sunday, July 19, 2026, that Ruto should not neglect his political strongholds while pursuing support in other regions.

“Mr President, don’t repeat the mistake Raila made in 2022. He spent too much time trying to win over Mt Kenya while taking his traditional support base for granted,” Kipembe said.

He advised the president to prioritise development in regions that have consistently supported him.

“Prioritise development in your strongholds,” he added.

Warning follows UDA’s Ol Kalou defeat

Kipembe’s remarks came days after the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) suffered a heavy defeat in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.

Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho secured 35,440 votes. UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyagah finished a distant second with 5,450 votes.

The difference between the two candidates was 29,990 votes. The outcome delivered a major political victory to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s party.

It was also a setback for President Ruto and UDA. The party had deployed senior government officials and elected leaders during the campaign.

Government projects and economic empowerment programmes also featured prominently before the July 16, 2026 vote.

However, that campaign failed to convince Ol Kalou voters. The DCP candidate secured more than six times the votes received by UDA’s candidate. Ngotho was declared the winner with 35,440 votes.

Kipembe’s message appeared to caution Ruto against responding by concentrating all his political and development efforts on recapturing Mt Kenya.

Kipembe invokes Aburi’s election record

Kipembe used his father’s political history to argue that development and strong grassroots support can help politicians survive dominant party waves.

“Look back at 2013: who was the only legislator elected on an ODM ticket across the entire Central Kenya region?” he posed.

Mpuru Aburi was elected Tigania East MP on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket in 2013.

“Now look at 2022: who was the only legislator who openly backed Raila and still won against all odds?” Kipembe added.

Aburi retained the seat in 2022 on a National Ordinary People Empowerment Union (NOPEU) ticket. He garnered 32,172 votes despite the strong UDA wave witnessed in Meru County.

The results placed Aburi ahead with 59.2 per cent.

“Wave politics is nothing new to us. We’ve never been afraid to go against the grain, and history speaks for itself,” Kipembe said.

His intervention places development at the centre of Ruto’s 2027 strategy. It also warns that efforts to regain Mt Kenya should not come at the cost of regions that delivered the presidency in 2022.