Former Agriculture Minister Kipruto Arap Kirwa has termed the visits by different delegations to State House as campaign gimmicks by President William Ruto.

He stated that although the delegations are often given money and allowances upon leaving State House, they continue chanting the “Wantam” slogan and remain firm in their political choices ahead of 2027.

Speaking during an interview on Herman Manyora’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Kirwa argued that the delegations flocking to State House are part of Ruto’s re-election strategy rather than genuine efforts to address the concerns presented by the groups.

He further criticised the president’s move to award Harambee Stars money for every win during the recently concluded CHAN games, describing it as another campaign gimmick aimed at enticing young people and sports lovers. According to Kirwa, if Ruto were to lose the 2027 election, he would no longer be seen in stadiums.

Kirwa also dismissed Ruto’s defence that welcoming every “Tom, Dick, and Harry” to State House is meant to make the house on the hill open to ordinary citizens and not just top officials. He argued that such a narrative would only be believable if it were after 2027 when Ruto would no longer need political support. For now, he maintained, it remains a clear campaign tactic.

“Well, I would also have believed him if it is after the next election and should he win the election but these is really campaign gimmicks and even when he was dealing with issues of sports in Kasarani, it was just campaign to get in tandem with young people” Kirwa stated

Other reactions

 On the other side, Robert Mbui also came out to react to the teachers’ meeting at the State House that saw over 10,000 teachers flock to the State House, terming the event a public baraza, saying that if there were to be any negotiations, they should have been limited to the union heads with the president and not a whole group of 10,000 teachers with Ksh100,000 spent on them in a single day.