Gachagua lists Kibaki-era projects he will prioritise if he secures presidency
By Steve Ireri, September 13, 2025Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has announced that his presidential term will be anchored on reviving key projects and policies championed by the late President Mwai Kibaki.
Speaking in Murang’a on Saturday, September 13, 2025, Gachagua said Kenyans had called on him to take up the mantle of leadership, a call he had accepted.
He announced that his foremost priority as president would be the restoration of free education, saying this was a direct continuation of Kibaki’s vision for accessible schooling.
According to him, no child should be locked out of classrooms because of fees, and the education sector must once again reflect the equity that marked Kibaki’s reforms.
“Kenyans have told me, and I have agreed, that I will remove Ruto. I will fight for that presidential seat. For me, working for Kenyans is simple. The first task I will do when I become president will be to restore free education, just as it was under President Mwai Kibaki. We have agreed on that,” he said.
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On healthcare, Gachagua said his government would prioritise stocking all hospitals with adequate medicine and ensure patients have access to insurance that allows them to be treated swiftly and discharged without delay.
He presented this as a practical solution to the growing frustrations families face when seeking medical attention.
“The second task I will do when I become president is to ensure that all hospitals have medicine and that people get insurance so that when they arrive there, they are treated quickly and can return home,” he added.
Gachagua also pledged to secure the livelihoods of elderly citizens who currently depend on Ksh2000 monthly stipends from the state.
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He assured that these payments would be delivered without delays, giving older Kenyans a sense of dignity and consistency in their later years.
“I also promise that our elderly mothers, who receive two thousand shillings every end of the month from the government, will get that money without delay.”
Turning to security, he vowed that under his administration, no Kenyan would face kidnappings or unlawful killings.
He promised accountability for all cases of extrajudicial violence, even declaring that police officers who he claimed had been used by the current leadership to harm citizens would be arrested and taken to court.
“I also want to promise Kenyans that when I am president, no Kenyans will be abducted or killed. Furthermore, I want to tell the Gen Z of Kenya that all the police officers President Ruto used to kill people will be arrested and taken to court,” he added.
Gachagua further addressed the growing frustrations of salaried workers, promising to remove what he described as punitive deductions introduced under President William Ruto.
He said his plan would restore dignity to the payslip and ease the financial strain that has been placed on middle-class households.
“I also want to assure those on payslips that all the taxes that Ruto imposed will be removed so that I can restore dignity to the payslip.”