President William Ruto on Wednesday began his tour of northern Kenya in Garissa, where he delivered a sharp rebuttal to criticisms from his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua over alleged unfulfilled development promises.

Gachagua, in a press address on Tuesday, outlined several projects the Kenya Kwanza government had pledged to implement in the region but which he said had either stalled or never took off.

In response, the President dismissed the claims, insisting that work was ongoing and that projects were within time and budget.

“I’ve heard some people say I should have cancelled this tour to focus on other things. I want to tell them to focus on those other things instead,” Ruto said.

“That idler trying to lecture me has no capacity to plan anything, execute any development projects or programmes. His sole agenda is ‘Kasongo must go’,” he added.

The three-day visit comes amid a worsening drought situation that has mostly affected residents of the northern region, with many facing food insecurity and the risk of loss of human and livestock life if interventions delay.

According to Gachagua, the tour should have avoided what he termed populist politics and instead focused on humanitarian assistance and a declaration of drought as a national disaster to unlock local and international aid.

Reiterating Ruto’s remarks, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki questioned Gachagua’s fitness to address the issue, citing his alleged dismissal from a past job over mismanagement of a similar programme.

“You (Gachagua) were sacked as a District Officer for stealing food meant for drought relief. You have no moral authority to give lectures on drought mitigation,” he claimed.

Kindiki also cautioned against the politicisation of the drought, which he said had left the lives of more than three million Kenyans at risk.

The national government says it has disbursed over Sh10 billion in the past three months to ensure adequate and consistent supply of essentials such as food, water, medical supplies, livestock feed, vaccines, and other non-food items.

A total of 23 counties have been affected.

While in Garissa, the President and his deputy inspected the Garissa Airstrip, presided over the disbursement of Sh63 million in NYOTA funds to 2,520 youths, inspected affordable housing projects, and addressed a public rally in Garissa town