Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has delivered a sharp rebuke to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, urging him to focus on his responsibilities and stop lamenting.
Speaking publicly on Saturday, September 21, 2024, Wanga stressed that both the president and deputy president must take their roles seriously and focus on the duties assigned to them by the people of Kenya.
“If you are elected as a president and deputy president, you must just be serious with your work and the work that Kenyans have given you. And you must know that it is not your duty or your place to come back and lament,” Wanga remarked.
The governor went on to emphasize that the Kenya Kwanza administration has a clear mandate, and Gachagua should focus on it rather than engaging in divisive rhetoric.
She suggested that he should be more proactive in touring the entire country and promoting national development.
“We would like to see the deputy president touring the country, the whole country, the entire country. And if he doesn’t know the borders, maybe somebody should show him the borders of this country and tell him that we would like to see him touring, talking about the development of Kenya as a whole because he himself said that the people of Kenya elected him – the people of Kenya, not just a small part of Kenya,” Wanga stated.
Her comments come amid ongoing political tensions, as Gachagua continues to face criticism for his focus on regional politics, particularly in his home region which he often pronounces as ‘murima’ instead of ‘mlima’ – implying Mt Kenya region.
Gachagua’s impeachment
Wanga’s remarks were a direct response to Gachagua’s Friday night TV interview where he vowed not to keep quiet about what he described as underhand dealings to remove him from office.
Gachagua pointedly remarked that it was not President William Ruto who gave him his position, but the people of Kenya.
In his view, the people, not the president or parliament, hold the ultimate authority over his office.
“We have a responsibility as leaders to inform the people because they are the ones who have given us these jobs,” he reiterated.
“I was not given this job by the president, I was not given [this job] by Members of Parliament. The president nominated me and proposed me for confirmation by the people of Kenya.”
“The people of Kenya by a popular vote confirmed President William Ruto’s nominee, Rigathi Gachagua, as the fit person for the job. But the people who gave me this job are the people of Kenya,” Gachagua added.
In the interview, Gachagua reiterated that he feels compelled to inform the public about what he believes is a conspiracy to impeach him.
Gachagua made it clear that he intends to hold numerous rallies in the coming days to make his case to his supporters, signalling that he will not be silenced or intimidated by those plotting against him.
“And that I will do, and I have started today and I will be doing that along the way because I am answerable to some people. I cannot just sleep here in Karen, meetings are going on at night, people are being intimidated, people are being coerced to disrupt my term, to stop me from doing my work and I just sit here, I cannot,” Gachagua asserted.
