Deputy president William Ruto’s mental health status on Tuesday morning became the subject of a heated debate on live TV - pitting two medical doctors.
2022 politics heating up
File image of DP William Ruto
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Dr Eseli Simiyu, who is also the Tongaren MP, clashed with Dr Bonny Khalwale after he accused Ruto of suffering from megalomania.
The Tongaren MP was commenting on the DP’s opposition to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBIC) which he attributed to megalomania.
“There might be a few way, Dr Eseli is attempting to insult the deputy president by saying he suffers from megalomania. This is a condition where a person suffers from a mental condition where he or she thinks is important, while he is not. For your information, the DP is a powerful person who exercises a lot of power under the new constitution,” Khalwale, who specializes in gynecology, stated.
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Simiyu, a trained doctor specializing in neonatology, hit back accusing Khalwale of misleading viewers by failing to define megalomania adequately.
“Khalwale is misleading Kenyans because if he had checked or even googled the meaning of megalomania, the meaning is not limited to a mental disorder. Intellectuals don’t do that,” Simiyu, a former lecturer at the University of Nairobi’s School of Medicine, explained.
Former Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo, who also on the panel, explained to Khalwale should debate in layman terms instead of using his medical training to confuse Kenyans.
“The simple meaning of megalomania is an obsession with the exercise of power. Khalwale is using the medical definition – in line with his training but there is nothing abusive,” Midiwo said in defense of Simiyu.
