Listen To The Ground, DP Gachagua Advises Elected Leaders From Mount Kenya Region
The Mt Kenya Times 
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- A few days ago, the DP was in Gatanga in Muranga County. He minced no word in warning elected leaders from Mount Kenya region that their days were numbered.
- If they fail listen to the ground, they will lose their seats come the next general election in 2027.
- As expected, his critics interpreted his remarks to mean taking on his boss, President William Ruto.
- I disagree! The truth of the matter is that if election is called today the region will not vote as a bloc for President Ruto as it happened in 2022 polls. If it turns out this is the message he was passing to the President, I would not expect the head of state to feel offended.
I have been listening to the latest discourse touching on the relationship between President William Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
Contrary to the impression created, the remarks and body language of the duo showed that their working chemistry remained cordial and intact.
When this matter was raised recently during President William Ruto’s televised interview, he stated. I’m not aware of any political differences with my deputy. The truth of matter is that he is my deputy. If you don’t trust me, go and look for him. I cannot speak for him.
The DP had been reading a similar script. He had never openly picked a war with his boss.
As a principal assistant to the President, he has been stating. My job is to help the President implement what he promised Kenyans during campaigns. Our was a joint ticket. So, if I don’t do this, I will also be blamed.
But putting this aside, there was a time the DP trained his gun on key allies of the President. I want to remind these junior officers that I’m not their equal. I’m directly answerable to the President, not them.
A few days ago, the DP was in Gatanga in Muranga County. He minced no word in warning elected leaders from Mount Kenya region that their days were numbered.
If they fail listen to the ground, they will lose their seats come the next general election in 2027.
As expected, his critics interpreted his remarks to mean taking on his boss, President William Ruto.
I disagree! The truth of the matter is that if election is called today the region will not vote as a bloc for President Ruto as it happened in 2022 polls. If it turns out this is the message he was passing to the President, I would not expect the head of state to feel offended.
Dr President Ruto is a well-schooled politician.
The ground in Mount Kenya region is mainly shifting because a quite number of development projects that the two leaders had made to the residents during the campaigns were yet to be rolled out.
By virtue of being senior most politicians in the region, the residents considered Gachagua as their savior.
He may have some weaknesses but this is normal with all politicians. No one is 100 percent perfect.
For residents, the enemies of the Mountain had regrouped and were out to split the region. We will not allow them to have their way.
We will firmly stand behind Gachagua because he is a unifying factor.
The DP spoke in Gatanga at a time when media reports indicated that a plot had been hatched to impeach him.
This comes in the wake of the recent protests organized and led by Generation-Z.
One of the grounds cited by plotters is Gachagua’s alleged role in sponsoring these demonstrations.
It is not therefore lost that the campaign took a new height on the day that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives grilled and recorded statements from three of his top allies.
It remains to be seen whether the information extracted carried any weight that could be used to pin down DP.
In political circles, the diehard supporters of DP have been dismissing the claims, stating the DP was being targeted for political reasons.
At the height of Gen-Z protests, I had an opportunity to listen to Gachagua’s remarks when he addressed the press in Mombasa.
The DP, who spoke soon after President William Ruto addressed the nation at State House Nairobi, stated that he was privy to the information that some state operatives were out to make false claims that former President Uhuru Kenyatta and himself were sponsoring the protests?
The DP directed his anger at director of National Intelligence Service (NIS) Nordin Haji. The NIS boss had totally failed in his mandate of relying genuine and authenticated intelligence report to the President. If he had done his job, we could not have witnessed this bloodshed.
While roundly condemning the police for using excessive force against the protesters resulting to snuffing out of the lives of innocent youths, the DP echoed the words of the President. These are our children and had not broken any law.
President Ruto’s interview came at a time when a headline story appearing on Weekly Citizen newspaper stated that close allies of President Ruto had hatched a plot to impeach the DP.
The story also alleged that the DP had been blocked from accessing State House.
After reading this story, two questions came to my mind. Was the President aware of plans to impeach his deputy and he had seek an appointment before accessing him at State House? If a plot to impeach him is real, can his political enemies manage to marshal enough votes in parliament?
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.
Well, for now, some people argue the motion can sail through. This is because President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga have buried their differences and are working together.
But there is 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.
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. He has not lost that popularity.
So, If the President opts to ignore him he was bound to lose this critical support base. The DP steered clear of this debate.
He had however earlier stated. As a community what we hate is betrayal.
I’m therefore sure the issue of unfulfilled promises would feature prominently if President agrees to engage him in a formal and structured manner.
Besides the DP would demand to be respected and recognized as the senior most leaders in the Mountain.
In Mombasa, the DP said he was happy to note that the President has listened to the young people. This by refusing to sign the Finance Bill.
While attending a church service in Nyahururu town, the President 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. The President heeded the call when he declined to sign the bill into law.
The youths who had turned up to oppose the Finance Bill 2024 were aged between 18-34 years. They had listed other demands.
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 Jackson Ole Sapit who was quoted in a post on social media as saying that his son was also taking part in these protests.
A renowned political analyst had averred the anti-tax protests were being sponsored by a foreign power. He did name this power and what it intended to achieve.
This is not the first time we are witnessing this. We had seen similar protests rocking the country during the reigns 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.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi
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