NAIROBI, KENYA – Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has publicly defended Mbeere North parliamentary hopeful Leonard ‘Leo’ Wamuthende, dismissing serious corruption allegations against him as “baseless and politically motivated propaganda.” The move, made on Saturday, 22 November 2025, places a senior cabinet member in direct opposition to the findings of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which is actively seeking Mr. Wamuthende’s arrest over a multi-million shilling procurement scandal.

Speaking at a forum for teachers and community health promoters in his former constituency of Mbeere North, CS Ruku portrayed Mr. Wamuthende, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, as a victim of a political smear campaign. “Anyone who knows Muthende understands he is a product of sweat and sacrifice,” Ruku stated. “He did not inherit wealth or privilege. He built everything step by step, and that is why these accusations cannot stand.” The CS argued the claims were a strategy by rivals threatened by Wamuthende’s growing popularity ahead of the by-election scheduled for Thursday, 27 November 2025.

EACC Probe and Name Change

The allegations CS Ruku dismissed are detailed in an EACC investigation file that has been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). The anti-graft body is seeking the arrest of a man it identifies as Leonard Muriuki Njeru, who it alleges is the same person now known as Leo Wamuthende.

The EACC claims Mr. Njeru was the mastermind behind a fraudulent KSh 643 million tender for an oxygen generation plant at Kenya's largest referral hospital. According to investigators, a company named Biomax Africa Limited, led by Njeru, won the contract despite lacking the necessary experience and allegedly using forged documents. The project was reportedly never completed as specified. Following the EACC report, which recommended his prosecution, Mr. Njeru legally changed his name to Leo Wamuthende, a move opponents have described as an attempt to sanitize his past and evade accountability.

High-Stakes Political Battleground

CS Ruku’s intervention comes amid a fiercely contested by-election to fill the very seat he vacated upon his appointment to the cabinet in April 2025. The race has become a major political battleground, pitting the ruling UDA party, led by President William Ruto and his deputy Kithure Kindiki, against an opposition faction that includes former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who is campaigning for the Democratic Party (DP) candidate, Newton Karish.

The campaign has been marred by intense rhetoric and accusations of planned violence and voter intimidation from both camps. The UDA, with Deputy President Kindiki leading the charge, has framed the election as crucial for the region's development, urging voters to elect a candidate aligned with the government. The opposition has seized on the EACC probe, demanding that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) disqualify Mr. Wamuthende for failing to meet the integrity standards stipulated in Chapter Six of the Constitution.

Contradiction in Anti-Graft Messaging

The Cabinet Secretary's staunch defense of an EACC-flagged candidate stands in stark contrast to his own public pronouncements on corruption. In August 2025, CS Ruku publicly challenged the EACC to arrest all public officers implicated in its reports, declaring that the government would not tolerate impunity. “The President does not want any corrupt officer in the public service,” Ruku said at the time. “I call on the EACC to identify these individuals, arrest them, and charge them so that the law can take its course.”

This apparent contradiction raises critical questions about the government's commitment to its anti-corruption agenda, particularly when political interests are at stake. The defense of Mr. Wamuthende by a key cabinet figure, while the EACC seeks his arrest, sends mixed signals to the Kenyan public and anti-corruption bodies. As the Mbeere North by-election approaches, the focus will remain on whether the rule of law will prevail over political expediency, with the ODPP’s decision on the EACC file now a matter of significant public interest.