IN SHORT: A TikTok video claims Musalia Mudavadi said he was ready to resign and called president William Ruto a thief. But this is false; the clip is from 2020 and refers to the impeachment of the then governor of Nairobi county.
Kenya’s prime cabinet secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, said he was ready to quit his job and called president William Ruto a thief. That’s according to a TikTok video circulating online.
The video’s caption, written in Kiswahili, roughly translates to: “Ruto, we are not fools!! I am ready to leave this job. Kenya, we are being led by a thief. I'm ready to speak.”
It appears to have been edited, as some parts are abruptly cut off. In the video, Mudavadi discusses impeachment and criticises impunity and the failure to uphold the rule of law.
He urges leaders to be accountable and highlights the growing fear among public figures to speak the truth because of online backlash. At no point does he mention Ruto by name or talk of resignation.
The video has over 208,000 views, 5,100 likes, and more than 190 comments.
Context and background
Kenya’s political landscape has changed dramatically in recent months. In July 2024, youth-led protests erupted across the country in response to a controversial finance bill. The protests were followed by a wave of abductions targeting perceived government critics. The son of then attorney general Justin Muturi was also abducted but later released.
In response, Ruto sacked his cabinet and made new appointments, which included four key members of the main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Muturi was appointed the minister for public service.
In October, then deputy president Rigathi Gachagua was impeached by parliament, reportedly with Ruto’s blessing. Kithure Kindiki took over as deputy president. Some analysts suggested that the ODM’s entry into government, led by former prime minister Raila Odinga, may have diluted Mudavadi’s influence.
Muturi repeatedly spoke out against the abductions and refused to attend cabinet meetings unless the issue of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings was addressed. He was eventually sacked in March 2025. In a recent follow-up interview, Muturi accused Ruto of being “irredeemably corrupt”.
In April, Ruto and Gachagua also traded sensational accusations, accusing each other of incompetence and corruption.
In this political context, the TikTok video seems to add a new twist, claiming that Mudavadi is also turning against Ruto, threatening to resign and reveal secrets.
But is this true? We checked.
Video from 2020
In the video, Mudavadi never mentions Ruto by name, never calls him a thief, and never talks about resigning. While he talks about impeachment in general terms, he mostly talks about Nairobi county. This suggests that the speech was about the impeachment of former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko.
An online search using related keywords confirms that the speech was indeed about Sonko’s impeachment and took place around 14 December 2020. Sonko’s impeachment was upheld three days later. Therefore, this speech took place well before 2022, when Ruto became president.
There is also no credible news report or public record of Mudavadi making such statements about Ruto. If he had, it would have dominated the headlines and sparked political debate. This has not happened.
The allegation that Mudavadi threatened to resign and called Ruto a thief is false. The video is old and has been taken out of context.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
Add new comment