Wanjigi appeared in an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, August 13, his first live TV interview since the chaotic events at his home in Muthaiga, Nairobi saw the residence surrounded and broken into by armed police officers.
Businessman and former Presidential Aspirant Jimi Wanjigi now wants President Ruto to resign immediately, arguing that he cannot solve the problems of Kenyans.
Wanjigi appeared in an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, August 13, his first live TV interview since the chaotic events at his home in Muthaiga, Nairobi saw the residence surrounded and broken into by armed police officers.
According to the Safina Party leader, Ruto has failed to conclusively address issues facing the country, some of which forced the country’s youth comprising of millennials and Gen Zs to take to the streets in recent anti-government demonstrations.
Wanjigi recommended that Ruto own up to his shortcomings and announce his resignation, arguing that there was no shame in doing so.
President William Ruto speaking at the joint session of Cabinet and Principal Secretaries at State House, Nairobi on August 12, 2024. /PCS
“I want William Ruto gone like yesterday. This regime has failed, will fail and is going to hurt more and more Kenyans as we go on every single day.
“William Ruto knows he cannot solve our problems. I was hoping he would do the honourable thing, it is not a shame to say nimeshindwa na kazi (I failed at my job) and exit. He needs to exit,” he appealed.
The Safina party leader affirmed his clarion call for Ruto to exit power, stating that he was incapable of solving the problems he helped create while in the previous regime, with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In his words, “God will never even bless him with that. He has created problems in this country to do with money and the economy of this nation. Every day William Ruto is in power I want Kenyans to know it is more and more pain,” adding that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and the rest of the Kenya Kwanza government should also resign.
Regarding the recent raid, Wanjigi alleged that this was part of an extended plot to finish him off, contending that the attack which linked him to possession of assault weapons including hand grenades and teargas canisters was a sign that the regime intended to kill him.
To prove this, he referred to a past raid at his residence during former President Kenyatta’s administration saying that Ruto and his predecessor have bad blood against him.
“I don’t think it is the question of police, it is the question of two presidents, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and the current president William Ruto. What happened in both incidents was literally criminal activities; they used the police for criminal activities in my home,” he said.
“My family was saying that if these people catch you they will kill you, they won’t kill us. They may threaten us, and take us in, but it would be too much for them to kill us. I absolutely think that the Ruto regime wants to kill me. Why come and say I have grenades? To say I have grenades is saying that I am waging a war using arms.”
The outspoken politician went on to clarify that the recent raid where armed officers kept his house under siege for more than two days was not about discovering any alleged weapons in his house but only arresting him, adding that if the government really wanted to apprehend him, it should have issued an arrest warrant or utilised legal channels to arrest suspects instead of raiding his house in a manner akin to hunting a wanted terrorist.
A video that recently circulated social media platforms showed men heavily armed and kitted in military-esque wear scoping the vast residence in full view of Wanjigi’s wife who could be heard begging them not to shoot her.
The businessman reiterated his past sentiments that he watched the police as they were planting explosives and guns in his motorcade, adding that it was likely that both Uhuru and Ruto could be afraid of him and should come out and shed light on the same.
“But on two incidents they planted stuff, guns in the first incidents and now they are saying there are grenades and smoke bombs, teargas canisters and God know what else,” he added.
“Here we have two regimes creating criminalities to get me. This is them who fear me. You should ask them why they fear me. It has never happened to anybody else in this country. Raila Odinga said that even in the Moi regime it never happened.”
Wanjigi further contended that he was inside his home during the entire raid but refused to reveal information on where exactly he was hiding, which frustrated attempts by the police to arrest him.
A collage of a contingent of police outside the home of Jimi Wanjigi on August 8, 2024. /JIMI WANJIGI