In the new script of East African politics, Kampala has become Nairobi’s quiet corridor of influence.
From President William Ruto’s backchannel meetings with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni to his allies trooping to the neighbouring country to rally voters to give the veteran president another term in office, every move reveals an unspoken truth – that the Ruto-Museveni bond now sits at the heart of regional power realignment.
On Thursday, President Ruto dispatched his deputy, Prof Kithure Kindiki, to represent Kenya at the 63rd Uganda Independence Day celebrations on his behalf. Prof Kindiki later attended the Afro-Arab Youth Congress in Kampala the following day.
However, when a powerful Kenyan delegation trooped to Kapchorwa, Uganda, in late September – led by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen – it was more than a church event. Prof Kindiki’s and Mr Murkomen’s attendance at the twin events was more than a ceremonial duty; it signified the growing warmth between President Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart, Mr Museveni, whose decades-long grip on power and strategic influence in the region have made him a key player in East African politics.
Both Presidents Museveni and Ruto have cultivated a working relationship anchored on trade, regional security, and energy cooperation. Uganda remains one of Kenya’s largest export markets, while Ruto’s administration has backed joint infrastructure projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway extension to Kampala and the improvement of border facilities to ease the movement of goods.
The two leaders also share a history of political resilience. Mr Museveni, a veteran of liberation struggles, has often been viewed by Ruto as a mentor figure in navigating the rough waters of statecraft. Dr Ruto, on the other hand, has projected himself as a champion of pan-African economic independence – an agenda Mr Museveni has long espoused.
On the surface, the recent gathering in Kapchorwa, Uganda, attended by close Ruto allies – Mr Murkomen, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang in one instance, and just three weeks after Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng’eno led a separate group including Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek – appeared to be a faith event. But beneath the hymns and prayers was a revealing display of political and personal camaraderie between Presidents Ruto and Mr Museveni – a relationship that continues to intrigue and unsettle observers across the region.
President Ruto, though absent in person, was represented by key Kenya Kwanza leaders who delivered a warm message of friendship and faith and presented a vehicle donated by Ruto to the bishop.
‘Kenya and Uganda share a common destiny and heritage,’ Mr Murkomen said, reading Ruto’s message. ‘We commend the church for the completion of the new sanctuary and wish them every blessing as they worship and serve.’
For the Kenyan team, their presence in Kapchorwa was also symbolic. The Sebei region, home to the Kalenjin-speaking people closely related to Ruto’s Rift Valley base, has long been a bridge of shared heritage between the two nations. In local political circles, it was seen as both a diplomatic reaffirmation and a subtle campaign gesture for Mr Museveni, whose re-election bid is already in motion despite being in power since 1986.
‘The Kenya-Uganda bond is not just about geography – it’s spiritual, cultural, and political,’ said Senator Mandago, addressing Ugandans at a ceremony to celebrate a local musician’s anniversary. ‘President Ruto and President Museveni are working to ensure our communities prosper together, in faith and in development.’
Beyond the religious front, the Kenyan leaders’ open praise for Mr Museveni sparked debate back home. Sources in Kampala confirmed that the delegation attended parallel community engagements, where they praised the Ugandan leader’s legacy and urged locals to rally behind him in the forthcoming election.
Ruto-Museveni bond
‘President Museveni is a father figure in this region,’ Governor Sang told a cheering crowd. ‘We in Kenya respect his leadership and his vision for East Africa.’
The remarks have revived talk of Ruto’s political involvement in Uganda, reminiscent of his earlier forays into Mr Museveni’s campaigns in 2015 and 2016. Then, as Kenya’s deputy president, Ruto famously joined Mr Museveni’s rallies in Kapchorwa – speaking in Kiswahili and Kalenjin – and urged voters to ‘stand with a tested leader.’ Ugandan opposition leaders at the time accused him of ‘meddling in another country’s politics.’
The relationship between Ruto and Museveni has evolved from campaign alliance to strategic regional partnership. The two have often aligned on trade, infrastructure, and security issues. In September, their governments reaffirmed several memoranda of understanding signed earlier this year to deepen cooperation on cross-border security, trade facilitation, and peacekeeping.
The meeting addressed three main issues: the regional energy crisis, the East African political federation, and Mr Odinga’s candidacy for the African Union Commission chairmanship. After hours of talks, Mr Museveni and Ruto endorsed Mr Odinga’s AU bid – a move that some saw as strategic rapprochement between Kenya’s rivals, brokered by Uganda’s veteran strongman.
Yet not everyone views the Ruto-Museveni friendship as benign. Martha Karua, the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader, has repeatedly accused the two presidents of forming what she calls ‘an unholy alliance.’
In an interview last year, Ms Karua – a member of Kenya’s united opposition camp, claimed the Ruto-Museveni bond extends beyond diplomacy, alleging it ‘enables cross-border abductions and suppression of dissent.’
‘It is an unholy alliance he is having with the brutal Ruto regime,’ she said. ‘A regime that forms abduction squads involving foreigners from Uganda, Burundi, and Congo has no moral authority to govern.’
Her remarks followed an incident in which Ugandan opposition figures Kizza Besigye and Obeid Lutale were abducted in Kenya and driven to Uganda to face trial at a military court. Ms Karua, who had sought to represent them legally, said Ugandan authorities delayed granting her a temporary practising certificate – proof, she argued, of state collusion.
While critics like Karua warn of authoritarian consolidation under the guise of regional unity, Ruto’s allies frame the partnership as visionary statesmanship. ‘The two leaders are shaping the future of East Africa,’ said Mr Murkomen. ‘They understand that prosperity requires stability – and stability demands friendship.’
Their relationship is also bound by a deep-seated sense of cultural kinship. The Sebei-Kalenjin connection, the shared Christian faith, and a mutual belief in pan-African self-reliance have kept the two close – even during moments of political tension.
For Mr Museveni, Ruto represents the next generation of African leadership – bold, pragmatic, and assertive.
The Ruto-Museveni relationship is more than personal chemistry; it is geopolitical calculus. From petroleum routes to regional power plays, their cooperation has implications for the East African Community’s future. Both leaders are pushing for a faster political federation – an idea that could consolidate influence across borders.
As the Kapchorwa event showed, this alliance now blends politics, faith, and regional ambition.
‘Tushikane, tukuwe kitu kimoja. And take care of Mzee. Will you vote for Mzee? Mzee mpaka mwisho,’ declared Mr Murkomen as he drummed up support for Mr Museveni. ‘I will still come again and again.’
Governor Sang followed with an even more explicit message: ‘I want to ask you that, in this coming election, take care of Mzee. Is that okay? Then we also ask for your prayers for us in 2027,’ he said.
‘I know you are aware that in this land of yours (Uganda), things are not that bad – one can serve for the longest time possible. But in Kenya, one can only serve for a maximum of two terms. That is why we are asking you to pray for us, so that William Ruto can secure his second term. Then we can move forward as a people. We love you. We love you as Kalenjin leaders, we love you as Kenyan leaders, and we shall still come back.’
The statement, met with applause, underscored the close ethnic and political ties between Kenya’s Rift Valley and Uganda’s Sebei sub region. Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek echoed the same sentiment, saying: ‘Take care of Mzee. Once you are done here, come back home.’
The camaraderie between President Ruto and Mr Museveni has also come at a cost. In 2021, while still serving as deputy president under former president Uhuru Kenyatta, Dr Ruto was blocked from flying to Uganda in what his office protested as a sudden change of rules that had governed his trips since he became the second-in-command in 2013.
However, senior security officials told the Nation that Dr Ruto did not seek the President’s clearance to travel as required by protocol.