Why Kenyans are drawn to Gachagua’s Wamunyoro team – Wandeto
Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto has described the emerging political formation around former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as a movement of hope, stating that many Kenyans are attracted to its promise of justice, truth, and reason.
Speaking on a local media station on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the UDA-allied MP asserted that this new movement is gaining traction due to its inclusion of seasoned leaders such as Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Fred Matiang’i, and Gachagua himself.
These individuals, he says, symbolise hope for millions of Kenyans disillusioned with the current administration’s unfulfilled promises.
“We were in Wamunyoro with my brother Robert Mbui here on Sunday, and I am not surprised that this issue is giving people running stomachs, because this was a very, very powerful statement. What we saw were leaders who, I think, represent nearly 10 million votes in this country, gathering there. And what Kenyans saw was, I think, the next government being formed,” Wandeto said.
Failed promises
Wandeto admitted that the Kenya Kwanza government had failed to deliver on its campaign pledges, creating a vacuum that the “Wamunyoro team” is now filling.
“We went around the country and sold Kenyans hope. We talked about the bottom-up economic model. We talked about how we would uplift the Mama mboga, the boda boda people, and Kenyans bought into our vision. But unfortunately, what we are seeing today are self-inflicted wounds,” he said.
Wandeto pointed out several failures of the current government, including a broken healthcare system, rising inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and unfulfilled promises to the youth.
“We have a multiplicity of problems which Kenyans looked up to us, as the Kenya Kwanza government, to resolve. But we failed to walk the talk. We talked a lot, but we were very, very short on actions,” he admitted.
The MP was particularly critical of what he sees as dishonesty from government officials.
“You are standing on a podium, and out of the ten statements that you make, nine are either lies, half-truths, or promises that you have no capacity or intent to fulfill,” he remarked.
According to Wandeto, this dissatisfaction has driven Kenyans to seek alternative leadership, which the Wamunyoro team represents.
“Kenyans have now started seeking an alternative voice. This is now becoming the new face that is going to liberate our Kenyans. And the reason Kenyans are resonating with this team is because they see hope,” he explained.
He highlighted the strengths of individual leaders within the coalition.
“You have Martha Karua, a very proven defender of justice and constitutionalism in this country. You have Kalonzo Musyoka, a man who represents a voice of reason in this country, and very, very balanced politics. You have the bold Rigathi Gachagua, the truthful man, who calls out things as they are. You have Fred Matiangi, the bold minister of the Uhuru government, who represented a lot of hope in this country. And many other voices,” he stated.
Collective leadership
Wandeto suggested that the coalition’s strength lies in its collective leadership, contrasting it with the current broad-based government, which he claims favours only two individuals.
“When Kenyans look at this group of emerging leaders, they start seeing hope because this is not a government of two people. For example, Gachagua consistently complained about how his advice to the President was ignored. People like Kalonzo Musyoka and Martha Karua, who have been in Azimio together with Raila Odinga, have always presented a very good alternative agenda in this country. Unfortunately, they have never had an opportunity (6:05) to implement it,” he added.
The MP, who described himself as “an economic expert,” expressed confidence in the coalition’s ability to govern effectively.
“I think we have the necessary ingredients to create a government that is going to deliver for this country for the first time,” he asserted.
