Monday seventeenth March, 2025 11:11 AM|
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed President William Ruto’s management cope with ODM chief Raila Odinga, arguing that the settlement won’t translate into any important electoral good points for Ruto in the subsequent basic election.
Speaking in an interview with Kameme FM on Monday, March 17, 2025, Gachagua asserted that Raila has misplaced political affect throughout the nation and not instructions the help he as soon as had.
He steered that Ruto’s alliance with the previous prime minister was an train in futility, as Raila’s conventional voter base had already deserted him.
“Kenya infaa kujipoanga. Macadamia farmers are crying; nilikuwa niwasaidie lakini Ruto akabadilisha mambo. Mashida yako kwa wingi, usithani kuna kitu Raila anaweza muongeza. Watu wamemkataa kila mahali—Wakamba, kila mahali. Watu wa president pekee hawatoshi kumpa kiti. Amebaki na kura zake pekee,” Gachagua said.
He maintained that Ruto’s core help base was not massive sufficient to safe victory by itself and that Raila’s inclusion wouldn’t carry any significant change to his possibilities.
According to him, Ruto’s dwindling affect in areas like Ukambani and Mt Kenya and his failure to consolidate different voting blocs meant that he not had the numbers to be a political kingmaker.
Gachagua additional downplayed any considerations that Mount Kenya leaders must be fearful about their political future, insisting that the area would stay a vital participant in the subsequent election.
“Sisi hatuna wasiwasi. Wasiwasi wetu pekee ni election iko mbali na mambo mengi inatokea hapo katikati,” he added.
The former deputy president additionally dismissed Raila’s latest claims about safety businesses, accusing him of creating excuses for his resolution to align with Ruto after years of opposing him.
“Hata hizo maneno Raila alikuwa anaongea ya jeshi ni uongo. Alikuwa tu anajaribu kujidefend mbona alienda kwa William Ruto,” Gachagua claimed.
Not tribal
In the similar interview, Gachagua additionally hit again at accusations that he’s a tribal politician, questioning the premise on which such claims have been being made towards him. He argued that these accusing him of tribalism have been the similar individuals who managed state appointments and dismissals, making it hypocritical for them to degree such allegations towards him.
Gachagua insisted that his political association with Ruto in 2022 was an easy deal primarily based on mutual profit fairly than tribal loyalty.
“We had an agreement, and there was no tribalism in having had an agreement that we were giving him votes so he could give us seats. No one in Raila’s case said it was tribal,” he said.
He additional accused Ruto of betraying Mount Kenya by steadily sidelining its leaders from key authorities positions, citing examples of how influential posts had been taken away from his allies and handed to people from different areas.
“The Budget and Appropriations Committee was taken away from Ndindi Nyoro and given to Sam Atandi. This seat was in Mount Kenya, and he should have looked for someone else in Mount Kenya, but he took it elsewhere,” Gachagua lamented.
He admitted that he had miscalculated main Mount Kenya into the 2022 election with out a political social gathering of their very own, likening their place in authorities to attending a marriage ceremony with another person’s invitation card.
“It would have been better if we had a party as a tribe. And we made a mistake trusting him, thinking he would not betray us,” he mentioned.
Gachagua insisted that Ruto strategically ensured that his allies retained extra influential roles whereas steadily pushing Mount Kenya leaders out of key positions. He cited the removing of Githii Mburu from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for example of this systematic purge.
“The KRA seat had Mburur, and he fired him and gave it to someone else. And now our people have seen a lot of trouble,” he famous.
According to Gachagua, his resistance to those adjustments led to his fallout with Ruto, who allegedly began plotting his removing by rallying cupboard secretaries towards him.
“The trouble for me started after I started faulting him for sidelining Mount Kenya people. That was when he started planning my impeachment. I called my cabinet and told them, but he called them and lied to them to rally against me,” he alleged.
He expressed disappointment that no different Mount Kenya leaders had spoken out towards the dismissals, accusing them of remaining silent because the area continued to lose affect inside authorities.
“Now he is not shy of firing Mount Kenya people. I never used to allow him to do that,” he declared.