Most Kenyans believe that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua enjoys considerable support within his home Mt Kenya region, new research by TIFA has shown.
According to the report, about half (49 per cent) feel that he has either total or quite a lot of support in the region.
“Among residents of this area themselves, however, this (combined) figure is considerably larger (68 per cent),” the report notes.
By contrast, hardly any Kenyans – regardless of where they live – believe he has almost no support (4 per cent, 3 per cent and 5 per cent among residents of the entire country, the Mt Kenya region, and all other regions, respectively).
The report comes amid an impeachment motion in parliament seeking to remove the second in command from office on 11 grounds.
According to the research, Kenyans are already proposing five possible replacements for Gachagua in case he is impeached, with three coming from the Mt Kenya region.
Interior Cabinet Secretary is the most preferred candidate to replace Gachagua with a 37 per cent rating, followed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro both with a 5 per cent rating. Others proposed by Kenyans are Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru (3 per cent) and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga.
Gachagua’s performance rating
The report notes that views on the performance of Gachagua are mixed, though he scores much higher among residents of the Mt Kenya region, while the opposite is the case among residents of other regions.
“Specifically, more than twice as many of the former consider his performance as either “excellent” or “good” as compared to the latter (59% vs. 27%). Conversely, nearly three times as many from other regions rate the DP’s performance as “poor’ or “very bad” as do those from Mt. Kenya (28% vs. 11%),” TIFA states.
“A comparison of views about the DP’s performance shows a clear contrast between those who declared they voted for Ruto and Raila in the 2022 election, with the former far more positive about his performance than are those who say they voted for the latter. This is seen in terms of those who rate his performance as excellent (22% vs. 9%) and conversely, those who see it as very poor/bad (9% vs. 19%).”
Overall, Kenyans are quite divided over the current effort to remove Gachagua from office by impeachment, with only a slight plurality in support of it (41 per cent vs 38 per cent).
On the other side, a clear contrast is seen between residents of the Mt Kenya region and those of all other regions, with well over twice as many of the former opposed to it (69 per cent vs 28 per cent).
