Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has come out guns blazing mocking President William Ruto’s second-place ranking in a global corruption index.
Speaking during the launch of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) headquarters in Karen on Monday, January 27, 2024, Gachagua claimed Ruto lacked the moral authority to speak about corruption.
“Anaenda pale Western anasema tumefukuza Rigathi Gachagua ati he is corrupt. William Ruto, do you have the moral authority to talk about corruption?” Gachagua asked.
Gachagua ridiculed the head of state, claiming that the results might have been rigged. According to Gachagua, Ruto deserved to be named first in the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s (OCCRP) “Corrupt Person of the Year” award.
“We sympathize with you because juzi kumekuwa na opinion poll on the most corrupt person in the world. We are unhappy that you were rigged instead of giving you number one, they gave you number two,” Gachagua declared.
Ruto on OCCRP’s list
The corruption ranking referred to by Gachagua was published on December 31, 2024, by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an international network of investigative journalists focused on uncovering corruption and organized crime.
Ruto was ranked second in the OCCRP’s “Corrupt Person of the Year” award, narrowly losing to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. The OCCRP noted that Ruto received over 40,000 public nominations, the most ever in the award’s history.
“Ruto’s government has faced accusations of greed and corruption, with policies that have fueled economic instability,” they said in a statement.
The organization also highlighted rampant corruption, youth unemployment, and public outcry over a controversial finance bill as key issues raised by Kenyans.
While Ruto did not top the list, OCCRP judges emphasized that the public’s extraordinary demand for accountability was noteworthy.
“While Ruto didn’t ‘win’ Person of the Year, the extraordinary public outpouring highlights global demands for justice and accountability,” they stated.
However, the judges ultimately selected Assad for the “top dishonour” due to his significant and far-reaching impact on global instability.
This is in light of Ruto’s administration facing criticism for its handling of public dissent, with protests against corruption and economic challenges often met with violence, arrests, and enforced disappearances.
