How DP Gachagua’s Often Repeated Phrase Of Being ‘A Truthful Man’ Continues To Shape His Political Career?

By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga

Worth Noting:

• Going by the latest media reports that the two leaders have fallen out, majority of the people in the mountain are asking. How soon and why?
• Recently, a story appearing in one of weekly newspaper stated that a section of politicians from Rift Valley have hatched a plot to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
• These politicians were allegedly coalescing around President William Ruto.
• When I read this story, two questions came to my mind. Were they enjoying the blessing of the President? Did they stand a chance of having their way? In my view, it was hard to impeach DP Gachagua because of changing political dynamics.

In the countdown to 2022 general election, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua coined a phrase of being a truthful man.

He used it to mobilize and rally the people of the Mountain behind President William Ruto’s candidature.

We recall the famous words of the outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta. He stated that he will do 10 years and then immediately pass the baton to his deputy President William Ruto to run the country for another 10 years.

The opposition leaders led by Raila Odinga would hit out at the President for making these pronouncements but Uhuru would not change his position.

At one point, he openly clashed with Raila during the burial of former Minister and the leader of Maa community William Ole Ntimama.

Hon Ruto is my deputy. The allegations you are making against him are malicious and do not hold any water.

The two leaders had even signed an agreement reaffirming their position.

Things however changed in the beginning of their second term when President Uhuru abandoned his deputy for no good reasons.

Uhuru instead opted to reach out and work with his main competitor Raila Odinga.

This led to birth of the ‘handshake government’ and President Uhuru later threw all his weight behind Raila Odinga’s presidential candidature.

But hon Gachagua remained firm, bold undeterred.

He repeatedly termed the decision to abandon Ruto as a great betrayal.

This man (read Ruto) had played a prominent role during the campaigns to catapult Uhuru Kenyatta to the seat of power.

It is therefore wrong to throw him under the bus in the hour of need.

We the people of Mount Kenya are truthful people. We are bound by 10/10 position, Gachagua kept reiterating mostly when he hosted Dr William Ruto in the Mountain.

Going by the latest media reports that the two leaders have fallen out, majority of the people in the mountain are asking. How soon and why?

Recently, a story appearing in one of weekly newspaper stated that a section of politicians from Rift Valley have hatched a plot to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

These politicians were allegedly coalescing around President William Ruto.

When I read this story, two questions came to my mind. Were they enjoying the blessing of the President? Did they stand a chance of having their way?

In my view, it was hard to impeach DP Gachagua because of changing political dynamics.

DP Gachagua’s strategy of mending fences with opposition leaders was already bearing fruits.

ODM leader Raila Odinga had already thrown his full weight behind DP’s push for one-man, one-vote, one-shilling.

Reliable reports also indicate he had made tremendous progress in reaching out former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

He had also reached out to Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.

The duo’s remarks and body language during the consecration of Bishop Benson Kamau (Kiengei) would attest to this.

This means the anti-Gachagua motion was bound to receive a strong opposition from members of the three parties-Jubilee, Wiper and ODM.

It is also worth noting that the DP had managed to change the narrative of Mount Kenya region.

One of the reasons is because he has up to date maintained his position that he is a truthful man. As such, his popularity in the Mountain is going up.

Given this scenario, you would expect the MPs from the Mountain to shoot down the motion.

Besides, if it turns out the President supported the motion, many members were bound to interpret this as a big betrayal.

The DP bankrolled and supported his candidature with all his heart. Why abandon him so soon? This demonstrates no one is safe in Ruto’s government.

I had earlier watched and listened to how President William Ruto responded to the questions posed by top editors of three mainstream media houses during a live interview at State House Nairobi.

One of them touched on his relationship with his deputy Rigathi Gachagua.

Joe Ageyo of Nation Media Group (NMG) wanted to know whether they were really reading from same script.

Ageyo referred him to a statement that the Deputy President had released while in Mombasa. Mr President, a few minutes earlier you had addressed a televised press conference at State House Nairobi.

Both of you focussed on the same subject matter of Generation-Z protests.

The DP contradicted you by distancing himself from sentiments that some of youths involved in these protests were criminal gangs.

While roundly condemning the police for using excessive force against the protesters resulting to snuffing out of the lives of innocent youths, the DP observed. These are our children and had not broken any law.

During the interview President Ruto avoided responding to the question and told Ageyo.

l’m not aware of this story of fallout between me and my deputy.

He is my deputy. He is not here and he is the one supposed to respond to that question.

I cannot speak for him. You are free to look for him and engage him if there is something else you want to know.

President Ruto’s interview came at a time when a headline story appearing on Weekly Citizen newspaper further stated the DP had been blocked from accessing State House.

The constitution provides that the motion to impeach a sitting DP can only sail through if it garners two-third majority or above in parliament.

There is also the issue of whether the grounds cited by his accusers meet the requisite threshold of law.

The motion of the impeachment can only be allowed if the mover manages to convince the house that the actions of DP amount to gross violation of the constitution and the international treaties. The DP has never committed or linked to such gross misconduct.

I heard earlier listened to the remarks by Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thangwa. He seemed to confirm that President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua were not reading the same script.

We the people of the Mountain are asking President William Ruto to engage DP Gachagua in dialogue the same way he is engaging Generation-Z and millennials.

The senator, who spoke in presence of the Deputy President in Maragwa, stated. We have heard that the President has initiated a process of reaching out to the young people.

This is after they took to the streets to register their strong reservations with the way the country is being governed.

We want the President to use the same template to engage the DP.

While fondly referring Gachagua as Riggy-G, the senator further noted that Generation-Z and Riggy-G share one thing in common “letter G’.

You can therefore ignore Riggy-G at your own peril.

He added: DP Gachagua is our kingpin in the Mountain. I’m therefore answerable to him. So this is what I want to tell the President. You cannot reach me without going through him.

The DP was also accompanied by a host of elected leaders from this region.

To me, Karungo’s sentiments which were echoed by all the speakers including area MP Mary Wa maua, were weighty.

As we know, the people of Mount Kenya region voted for President Ruto to the last man and woman during 2022 polls. He garnered 87 percent and these are the votes that catapulted him to the seat of president.

Kiambu senator’s point was therefore clear. The DP was a force to reckon with. He helped the President to get those votes.

So, If the President opts to ignore him he was bound to lose this critical support base.

We recall that President Ruto made a raft of promises to the voters in this region during campaign.

The position of the DP is that most of these promises have not been fulfilled.

As a community, what we hate is betrayal; he was once quoted as saying.

I’m therefore sure the issue of unfulfilled promises would feature prominently if President agree to engage him in a formal and structured manner.

Besides the DP would demand to be respected and recognized as the senior most leader in the Mountain

In Mombasa, the DP emphasized.  During the campaign and when we assumed office I and President Ruto said we will be listening to what the people of Kenya are telling us. So, the youths had a right to air their views. This madness of killing our youths should never happen again in our country.

I’m happy to note that the President has listened to the young people. This by refusing to sign the Finance Bill.

The DP laid the blame squarely on the doorsteps of the Director General of National Intelligence Service Nordin Haji.

He had totally failed the President and misled him. If he gave the President the correct advice, this bloodshed could have been avoided. The President could have moved with speed to preempt the killings. Therefore, I call upon the head of NIS to resign with immediate effect.

The DP also conveyed messages of condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones.

Some days earlier, the President had attended a church service in Nyahururu. He reiterated: “I have listened to what the young people are saying. These are our children and we have to listen to them. I’m going to engage them and I want to assure them of my commitment to address the concerns they had raised”

He spoke as Generation Z piled pressure on members of parliament (MPs) to reject the Finance Bill 2024.

They have also listed a raft of demands that they want President Ruto to address.

For the first time, the protests were digitally driven. Besides, thousands of young people under the banner of Gen Z demonstrated a high level courage and boldness.

The youths who had turned up to oppose the Finance Bill 2024 were aged between 18-34 years.

It is worth to note some protestors were armed with smartphones and according to some politicians some had been dropped by Uber taxis.

The church service in Nyahururu was presided by ACK archbishop who was quoted in a post on social media as saying that his son was taking part in these protests.

A renowned political analyst had alleged the protests were being sponsored by a foreign power. He did name this power and what it intended to achieve.

But organizers were quick to dismiss these claims. By then, the protests had been held in 35 counties.

This is not the first time we are witnessing this. Similar protests had rocked the country during the tenures of former Presidents Daniel Arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta.

During the public participation, many Kenyans reasoned; Yes, we agree paying taxes is a legal civic duty. However, some of the taxes contained in Finance Bill 2024 are very high.

The burden will be too heavy particularly to the low income earners.

So, we recommend they should be reduced.

Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi