President William Ruto hit back at Gachagua today with some of the sharpest words yet in their long-running feud, zeroing in on the messy fight around Nairobi Hospital.
Speaking at a public rally in Bungoma County, the president lost his cool and fired straight at his former deputy. He told the crowd he was fed up with what he called baseless attacks from the opposition side. The trigger? Claims that Ruto is trying to snatch control of the private hospital for himself or his allies.
In the raw clip now spreading fast online, Ruto switched to street Swahili and didn’t mince words. “Wewe Gachagua, wacha ujinga na upuuzi uko nayo na wenzako,” he said. “Nyinyi watu wa opposition hamna akili hata kidogo, akili iko chini sana.”
For those who don’t speak the language, that translates to: “You Gachagua, stop this foolishness and nonsense you and your colleagues are carrying. You opposition people don’t have even a little bit of sense – your brains are way too low. I’m trying to save Nairobi Hospital from the hands of crooks, conmen and fraudsters, and here you are running around saying you don’t know who is buying it. All these crooks must be thrown out and sent to jail. Opposition people, go find yourselves real work and leave Nairobi Hospital alone.”
The moment caught everyone off guard. Ruto’s voice rose as he defended his moves at the hospital. He told supporters that senior doctors from the facility had come to him personally, asking for help to clean things up.
According to the president, shady characters had been trying to take over the board and run the place into the ground with dodgy deals. His job, he said, was simply to step in and stop the rot before patients suffered.
This isn’t the first time the two men have traded blows since Gachagua was impeached as deputy president back in 2024. The pair used to stand side by side during the 2022 election campaign, promising big changes for ordinary Kenyans. Now they’re on opposite sides of the fence, and every new issue turns into another round of public shouting.
The Nairobi Hospital saga blew up in the last few days. Gachagua and other opposition voices claimed Ruto was pushing for changes at the board level, even getting some top doctors arrested or pressured.
They painted it as a classic case of state interference in a private institution that has served Kenya for over 70 years. The hospital is famous for treating presidents, business tycoons and regular patients who can afford its high-end care. Any hint of political meddling there quickly gets people talking.
Ruto pushed back hard on those accusations. He insisted he had no interest in owning or controlling the hospital. “I’m only doing what the doctors begged me to do,” he told the rally. His message was clear: anyone caught playing games with the institution would face the law, no exceptions.
The timing couldn’t be more charged. Kenya’s political scene is already buzzing with talk about the new health system under SHA and questions about how ordinary citizens are paying medical bills. Adding a fight over one of the country’s best-known hospitals only pours more fuel on the fire.
Netizens cheered him on, saying it was about time someone called out what they see as opposition noise-making. Others sided with Gachagua, arguing that a sitting president should stay out of private hospital affairs no matter what.
One thing is certain – this row shows how personal the split between Ruto and Gachagua has become. What started as policy disagreements has turned into daily back-and-forths that dominate headlines.
Kenyans watching from home are left wondering whether the drama helps anyone or just keeps politicians in the spotlight while real problems like hospital bills and access to care get pushed aside.
For now, Ruto appears determined to keep pushing his version of events. He ended his remarks by urging the opposition to focus on something useful instead of chasing every rumour about Nairobi Hospital. Whether that call lands or sparks another round of replies from Gachagua’s camp remains to be seen.
This latest flare-up comes just as the country heads toward more elections and debates about leadership. Many ordinary Kenyans say they’re tired of the name-calling and want leaders to fix actual issues – like making sure hospitals work for everyone, rich or poor.
