Former Senate Deputy Speaker and diplomat Kembi Gitura has resigned from his position as Chairman of the Board at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), citing deep personal and political conflicts with the current administration led by President William Ruto.
In a strongly worded and introspective statement issued Tuesday, Gitura announced: “I have tendered my resignation as Chairman of the Board, Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) to His Excellency the President with immediate effect, and I have thanked him for having accorded me the opportunity to serve our great nation at such a premium national institution.”
Gitura, who was appointed to the board on December 20, 2024, said he initially took up the role believing it was a professional, non-political opportunity to contribute positively to Kenya’s healthcare sector.
“It is a wonderfully well-thought-out institution and I am confident it will continue to be of great service to both national and regional referral patients… especially in the areas of cancer, kidney and heart treatment.”
However, the former Murang’a senatorial candidate,who vied on a Jubilee Party ticket in 2022, revealed that his appointment raised questions among his political allies and supporters, many of whom interpreted his role as a shift in loyalty towards the UDA-led government.
“They knew I did not belong to the UDA Party. They knew… I had campaigned very vigorously against UDA. I had preached against its leadership and categorically held the position that I was certain very few, if any, of the promises made would be met.”
Despite his initial defense that the position was apolitical and purely administrative, Gitura admitted that public perception and increasing pressure made it untenable for him to continue.
“Explaining that I was not in government and that I was only doing a job did not appear to convince anyone… I therefore took the position a very conflicted person.”
Gitura made it unequivocally clear that he does not support the Ruto administration or its policies:
“I have never supported the UDA government and I have always stood firmly and in substantial agreement, although maybe at times quietly, with those forces that are up against its policies for all the reasons that are now in the public domain.”
He went further to say: “For the record, I do not support the UDA government policies on virtually all fronts. I do not want to mislead anyone by any of my actions, words or deeds… In short, I do not want to continue living a lie.”
Gitura also addressed the 2024 Gen Z protests and the public’s growing disillusionment with the administration, noting that even some elected leaders from UDA have had a “Damascus moment” and now admit to policy failures.
While expressing high regard for KUTRRH’s work, he clarified that his resignation was not due to institutional failure, but rather political principle.
“I have not resigned as Chairman… because I do not believe in the hospital or other national institutions. Not at all! These do not belong to a political party or to the government of the day; they belong to ‘We the People.’”
Reflecting on Kenya’s broader political climate, Gitura criticized tribal politics, political deception, and the misuse of leadership for personal gain.
“Anyone who preaches tribal and ethnic politics must be shunned and not allowed anywhere near national leadership… The master puppeteers will continue to rule and exploit us unless we throw them off our stage, and there is urgency in this.”
On why he chose this moment to resign, Gitura said: “Can I truly be able to speak out freely on national political and other issues against the system when I am a political appointee of the President? I do not think so.”
As Kenya heads toward the 2027 General Elections, Gitura expressed his desire to remain aligned with the values and convictions that have defined his political journey:
“It is my wish that everyone and anyone who knows what I stand for knows my political stand and in good time… I do not want to have a millstone hung around my neck and be thrown into the depth of the sea because of anything I did or did not do.”
He concluded his statement on a hopeful note: “Ours is a great nation with a very bright albeit delayed future… I believe we are capable of accelerating the attainment of our aspirations as a nation if we take a conscious decision to do so. For this purpose, leadership matters a lot.”
As of Tuesday evening, the board of KUTRRH had not issued a formal response to Gitura’s resignation.
