‘You did not make me president,’ Ruto tells Gachagua as he questions DCP leader’s conduct
President William Ruto addresses members of the public after commissioning the Kisii County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Tongeri in Bomachoge Borabu Constituency.
President William Ruto on Monday launched a blistering attack on his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, questioning his integrity and claiming that his alleged “bad manners” contributed to his impeachment and removal from office.
He also told off his former deputy for claiming to be the kingmaker in Dr Ruto’s 2022 presidential election success.
Speaking on the second day of his tour of Gusii, President Ruto alleged Mr Gachagua is putting pressure on businesspeople and aspirants seeking his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) ticket to make payments and promising them political favours.
“You have troubled traders and businesspeople. You have troubled candidates in your party. Everyone who comes to you must pay money,” President Ruto said.
He went on to accuse the former deputy president of harassing traders and businesspeople under the guise of fighting illicit brews.
“You were fighting traders in the name of dealing with illicit brews. You have troubled businesspeople; they have no peace. Aspirants too have no peace, and citizens have no peace because of you. Then you are telling us about money? Please shut up!” he said.
Following his ouster, Mr Gachagua has previously dismissed similar allegations, arguing that if his politics were driven by money, he would not have rejected an alleged offer by the government side to resign and avoid the impeachment drama.
According to Mr Gachagua, he had been urged to step down in exchange for Sh2 billion to finance his personal business ventures, provide for his security and position himself for future political ambitions.
On Monday, Dr Ruto also dismissed Mr Gachagua’s repeated claims that he was instrumental in securing his election as President in 2022, insisting that he personally campaigned for votes across the country.
“He has been going around claiming he made Ruto President. Kisii residents, did you not see me stand here seeking votes? Did anyone seek votes for me? Did I not come in person to plead for your votes? A one-term Member of Parliament claiming he made me President? I have been elected seven times; you (have been elected) just once!” Dr Ruto said.
Mr Gachagua has consistently maintained that he played a central role in delivering the Mt Kenya voting bloc to President Ruto during the 2022 General Election. However, the once formidable political partnership unravelled following his impeachment.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
According to Mr Gachagua, Dr Ruto picked him as his running mate specifically to mobilise support and secure votes in the Mt Kenya region.
However, speaking in Nyamira on Monday, President Ruto offered a different account of the events leading to the selection of his running mate under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
He said that Mr Gachagua secured only four votes from the Mt Kenya Members of Parliament Caucus during the selection process, adding that he personally intervened to persuade the legislators to accept him.
The President said he backed Mr Gachagua because he believed he was “a mature person”.
President William Ruto addresses members of the public after commissioning the Kisii County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Tongeri in Bomachoge Borabu Constituency.
During his Monday tour, President Ruto traversed Kitutu Masaba Constituency in Nyamira County and Bomachoge Chache and Bomachoge Borabu in Kisii County, addressing residents at various stops after launching and inspecting development projects.
He began the day by launching the Riamoni-Esani-Machururiati-Nyangori Road in Kitutu Masaba Constituency before flagging off the Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project at Nyangori.
He later inspected the Manga Affordable Housing Project before proceeding to Bomachoge Chache Constituency, where he toured the Ogembo Affordable Housing Project and launched the construction of the Ogembo Town Road.
The President also flagged off the Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project at Ogembo before proceeding to Bomachoge Borabu Constituency, where he commissioned the Tongeri Industrial Park and later flagged off another Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project at Tongeri.
Meanwhile, tea farmers in Gusii and the Rift Valley received a reprieve after President Ruto announced a Sh3.7 billion investment to address longstanding challenges in the sector.
The President said the funding would help modernise tea factories, improve productivity and consequently narrow the glaring disparities in bonus payments between farmers in the West and East Rift regions.
President Ruto was responding to concerns raised by Gusii leaders, who said tea farmers in the region felt discriminated against, having received significantly lower bonuses than their counterparts in other parts of the country.
Governors Simba Arati (Kisii) and Amos Nyaribo (Nyamira), Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, Broadcasting Principal Secretary Stephen Isaboke and a number of MPs from the region accompanied the President.
Earlier, while addressing residents in Kitutu Masaba Constituency, Nyamira County, President Ruto took issue with Mr Gachagua’s claims that people were being paid to attend his political rallies.
He challenged his former deputy to respect Kenyans, saying citizens were intelligent enough to make their own political choices without being influenced or coerced.
The President also dismissed Mr Gachagua’s repeated assertions that he commanded millions of votes, urging him to stop undermining the political independence of voters.
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