Speaking on Thursday morning during an interview with a local radio station, Jeremiah Kioni strongly warned the former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua over his wantam slogans targeting President William Ruto’s government.
Kioni said that the slogans are not a real threat to the regime, but instead they sound like a repeated song that carries no strong meaning.
In his statement, Kioni explained that the slogans have not brought any fear or panic inside Ruto’s government.
On the contrary, he argued that the slogans have given the government more confidence to move forward and even start doing things it previously avoided.
According to him, the more Gachagua talks about wantam, the stronger Ruto’s side becomes because they now feel no pressure from the opposition.
“The wantam chorus has not shaken the government; it has made it more bold,” Kioni said during the interview.
Kioni went on to say that the government has now started acting openly without any fear of criticism. He claimed that this new boldness began the moment Gachagua launched the wantam movement slogans during his political rallies.
According to Kioni, the slogans have no connection with the real struggles Kenyans are facing and therefore cannot weaken Ruto’s administration.
“These slogans have nothing to do with how the government is being run. If anything, they make the leaders in power more daring,” he added.
In his advice to the opposition team led by Gachagua, Kioni warned that the wantam slogans will not help them to remove President William Ruto from office when the 2027 elections arrive.
He urged them to think carefully and look for more creative and practical ways of challenging the government instead of relying on repeated chants.
“If you want to compete with Ruto in 2027, you must bring ideas that connect with the people. Just shouting wantam will not work,” Kioni advised.
