- A Meru woman’s life changed the day she posted a photo supporting then–Deputy President William Ruto as she lost her Kazi Mtaani job
- In pain and anger, she says she inboxed Ruto directly, hoping for at least a word of acknowledgement that never came
- Years on, her unanswered message and the silence that followed reshaped her faith in politics and loyalty
A woman from Meru has recounted the painful day she says she lost her job after publicly supporting President William Ruto, a decision that upended her life and altered her political loyalties.
Source: Facebook
Faith “Faiza” Karambu says her troubles began in 2020, at a time when Kenya’s political climate was deeply polarised.
Faiza’s entry into political world
Then living in Nairobi, the young mother told TUKO.co.ke that she had already endured years of financial instability.
In 2019, she had secured work through the office of former governor Mike Sonko, only for his impeachment to come before they were paid.
Her fortunes appeared to improve the following year when the area chief offered her a supervisory role under the Kazi Mtaani programme.
Around the same period, then-Deputy President William Ruto was meeting grassroots leaders at his Karen residence as his fallout with President Uhuru Kenyatta intensified.
Facebook post that got Faiza fired
Faiza, who had supported the Uhuru–Ruto ticket during the 2017 elections, attended one of the meetings and later posted a photograph on Facebook congratulating Ruto as “the next president”.
Days later, she says, her phone rang with a warning. The local MCA allegedly told her she had made a serious mistake by taking a photo with the deputy president, who at the time was openly at odds with the head of state.
“He accused me of being against the government by supporting someone who was against the president,” Faiza recalled.
Not long after, she received another call, this time from the chief who had employed her, informing her that he had received instructions “from above” to terminate her contract.
“I really cried,” she said. “Out of bitterness, I exited all the political WhatsApp groups I had been part of.”
Source: UGC
Who does Faiza support now?
Feeling wronged and powerless, Faiza sent a direct message to Ruto in 2020, unsure whether he would ever see it, let alone respond.
Years later, she would publicly question why she never even received a word of sympathy, joking bitterly as she asked why she should give him her vote again in 2027.
With her job gone and her hopes in Nairobi fading, Faiza reached out to Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who she says gave her fare to travel back to Meru to start life afresh.
It was there, disillusioned with mainstream politics, that she shifted her support to presidential hopeful George Wajackoyah.
According to Faiza, Wajackoyah noticed her online posts, requested her contact details, and the two later developed a friendship.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
