Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has lashed out at his former boss President William Ruto over his recent development tour of the Western region.
Speaking on Monday, January 27, 2024, during the launch of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) new headquarters in Karen, Nairobi, Gachagua called out Ruto for corruption and termed his administration as a government of lies.
The former Mathira Member of Parliament (MP) took issue with some of the projects Ruto launched in Western during his tour, stating that he had gone against the agreement he had signed with the Western region people.
Gachagua mocked the head of state for what he termed as launching transformers during his Western tour, instead of fulfilling the 1000km roads construction promise.
He further urged President Ruto to stop linking him to corruption, arguing that he has never been associated with any scandal in the country.
Gachagua went ahead to tell Ruto that he leads a government of lies, stating that he was kicked out of his position as the second in command for refusing to help the president in telling lies.
“Mr President, be an honest man, look for a mirror before you talk about corruption and look at yourself. The people of Kenya are very intelligent. Rigathi Gachagua has not been associated with any scandal in this country. So wewe unaenda pale unasema he is incompetent.
“In matters incompetence Mr President, I tent to agree with you to a certain extent. Serikali yako ni ya uwongo, kutenga, kudanganya watu. Uliandika mkataba na watu wa Western ukasema utajenga 1000km, hujajenga. Umekuwa hapo juzi unafungua transformer. Mimi ulitaka nikusaidie kudanganya Wakenya, in matters kudanganya Wakenya I am incompetent, I accept,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua calls out Ruto
Gachagua had earlier on fired back at President Ruto, accusing him of reducing what was supposed to be a development tour in Western Kenya into a personal vendetta against him.
Speaking during a TikTok live session hosted by user @Kuira wa Kabiru on Thursday, January 23, 2025, Gachagua called on Ruto to focus on the purpose of his tour and to stop making disparaging remarks about him.
He further claimed that all the leaders accompanying the president on the Western Kenya tour had done little else but malign his name instead of addressing pressing issues affecting the region.
“The president and his team went there for a development tour, yet Rigathi Gachagua has become the centerpiece of that tour. Instead of discussing roads, they are discussing Rigathi Gachagua. Instead of addressing water and sugarcane farming, they are busy discussing Rigathi Gachagua,” he remarked.
President Ruto used the Western tour to sustain attacks against Gachagua.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi for instance, asked Gachagua to move on after his impeachment.
Speaking in Kakamega County on January 21, 2025, during Ruto’s development tour in the region, Mudavadi said that by the law, after Gachagua’s ouster, he can not hold any public office even as a nyumba kumi elder.
