Vihiga, Kenya – President William Ruto’s close aide Farouk Kibet has issued a fiery warning to former President Uhuru Kenyatta, threatening to push for the termination of his retirement benefits if he continues engaging in political activities.
Speaking at a charged rally in Vihiga County, Kibet accused the former Head of State of inciting young people against the current government. He expressed outrage over Uhuru’s recent public comments that encouraged African youth to rise up against poor leadership, interpreting the remarks as direct political interference.
“Is there anything Uhuru left at State House? Why can’t he just retire in peace?” Farouk posed to the crowd, which responded with loud approval. He went on to claim that Uhuru’s continued presence in political affairs is a violation of the law governing retirement privileges for former presidents.
“I will personally engineer the stoppage of all his retirement benefits. He cannot eat with one hand and fight the government with the other,” Kibet declared, suggesting that the government should take a hard stance against what he termed as political sabotage by retired leaders.
Farouk’s remarks come just days after Uhuru addressed a youth forum where he urged young Africans to speak up and resist oppressive or poor governance. While Uhuru did not mention any specific administration, Kibet and other Ruto allies interpreted the remarks as a veiled attack on the Kenya Kwanza government.
The sharp exchanges signal growing political tension between the Ruto administration and the former president. Though Uhuru officially retired in 2022, he has remained active in various regional and continental initiatives and has occasionally made public statements that stir political discourse.
As calls grow louder within Ruto’s camp to limit Uhuru’s influence, Kenyans now watch keenly to see whether the government will act on the threat to suspend his retirement perks — a move that would undoubtedly escalate the standoff.
