Don’t judge Gachagua by his past, he deserves fair shot at presidency – Nyutu
By Steve Ireri, July 24, 2025Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu has strongly defended former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua against mounting criticism, insisting that it is unfair to judge him for past violations without allowing him to lead the country as president.
Nyutu issued the remarks during a joint interview on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in which Uriri MP Mark Nyamita had earlier faulted both Gachagua and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, claiming they were tainted by records of oppressive governance and should not be considered viable options to succeed President William Ruto.
Nyamita had particularly accused the two of overseeing, enabling or facilitating human rights abuses in their previous government roles—Gachagua as a provincial administrator and later deputy president, and Matiang’i as a senior cabinet secretary in the Jubilee government.
In his sharp rebuttal, Senator Nyutu dismissed the comparison between President Ruto and the two, stating that only someone who has held the office of the presidency can be subjected to such a direct performance assessment.
He noted that Ruto currently commands state machinery and heads all security agencies, while both Gachagua and Matiang’i served under different administrative circumstances and lacked ultimate executive power.
“So it would be unfair to compare somebody who is Head of State and controls all security and other key agencies to someone like Gachagua, who was only a District Officer at that time,” Nyutu said.
He maintained that the political space must remain open and unbiased, adding that denying leaders like Gachagua a fair chance at the presidency based solely on past perceptions or untested assumptions was both unjust and undemocratic.
“Some injustice has been done to former Deputy President Gachagua and to Matiang’i by saying they cannot be options to succeed Ruto because they violated human rights at one point,” Nyutu noted. “Just to remind Nyamita and others—Ruto is president today. Matiang’i has never been president, and Gachagua has never been president. You cannot compare someone who holds the power of the presidency to people who operate at very low levels of leadership.”
Nyamita on Ruto
In the same interview that saw the leaders lashing at each other, the Uriri Member of Parliament also called on Kenyans to embrace sober national dialogue, insisting that the ongoing killings and abductions in the country cannot be solved merely by removing President William Ruto from office.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker noted that while he is a member of the party, his views do not represent the official party position, which he clarified can only be communicated by the ODM spokesperson or party leader.
He instead offered his reflections on the state of the nation, particularly in light of recent protests and rising public anger.
“I am just a member of ODM. I want to condemn the abductions and killings because no matter who dies, we must all stand against such acts. But we need to sit as a country and think about how to stop this. It is not about removing President Ruto because the killings did not start with him,” he said.
Nyamita acknowledged that ODM’s official stance is guided by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it entered into with the Kenya Kwanza administration, which supports the idea of a broad-based government.
However, he emphasised that discussions about governance and reform should not be centred solely on individuals such as Ruto.
“First, I do not speak for the party — I am just a member of ODM. The party’s position on various matters should be given by the party spokesperson or the party leader. I will therefore speak as an individual and a member of the party. There is the party’s position, which is the MoU and the call for a broad-based government. That is not Sifuna’s position alone; it is the party’s. I agree that for a government to function and for lives to be sustained, we must prioritise peace and security.”