Havi says Ruto is losing respect with claims against Gachagua
Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi has claimed that President William Ruto is losing public respect by making claims against his former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
In a statement via his official X account on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, Havi criticised Ruto’s recent statements about Gachagua, arguing that such remarks do not serve the interests of the Kenyan people.
He stated that how the two leaders came together and later fell out is a private matter that does not require public debate.
“President William Ruto is losing self-respect by making claims against his former DP, which we, the people, cannot verify. It is none of our business how they converged and parted ways. It is all in the past but a lesson for the present and the future, both of which they have lost,” Havi said.
His sentiments come amid debate on Ruto’s latest revelations about his former deputy during a joint media interview ahead of his Mt Kenya tour.
Ruto on Gachagua
Speaking during a joint media interview at Sagana State Lodge ahead of his much-anticipated weeklong Mt Kenya tour, the head of state revealed that Gachagua demanded Ksh10 billion to help change the tide in the vote-rich central region.
He went on to say that the former DP even threatened to make him a one-term president if he failed to honour his demand.
However, Ruto detailed that he did not heed the demand, leading to the escalating fallout with the former second in command, which he claimed was a culmination of the brewing discord with MPs, his assistant Farouk Kibet, and even digital strategist Dennis Itumbi
“Gachagua told me that I would be a one-term president if I did not meet certain conditions. He asked for Ksh10 billion to talk to the Mt Kenya region. I told him I would not do it. I told him if it’s one term, it’s okay if you’re the one to decide,” Ruto stated at the interview.
He further shed light on the fallout between him and Gachagua, describing a strained partnership marred by internal disputes and conflicting leadership approaches.
According to Ruto, the friction began soon after they assumed office, with endless controversies and disagreements dominating their working relationship.
“After the elections, we began working. Three things happened. First, there were cases every day, like ‘Oh, Itumbi has said something, or I don’t know what he has written.’ I called Itumbi, and we dealt with the case. After a week, Farouk Kibet, the PA, a junior person, ‘has done something,’ so we dealt with the case.
“Then, little by little, ‘Ndindi Nyoro has done something; he has called a meeting in Kiharu. I don’t know if he has organized MPs; why has he gathered so many MPs?’ I called Ndindi Nyoro, and we dealt with the case. After that, I don’t know what Kimani Ichung’wah had done,” Ruto said.
“So, I asked him, ‘You are the Deputy President; why are you getting into conflicts with this blogger? Why are you getting involved with a mere PA, a very junior person? Why are you getting into issues with these young men?’ I told him, ‘Please, let’s focus on the work for Kenyans. Later, he started fights with MPs, telling them that if they did not kneel before him, they would be sent home before December. And the MPs told him that before December, they would deal with him.”
