Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku on Wednesday revealed how he and Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki attempted to help former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua survive impeachment.
He also declared that he would oppose any attempts to rally Mt Kenya unity behind Mr Gachagua ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“We sat him down three times. We tried to coach him on how to survive as Deputy President. We told him to be humble, submissive, respectful and patient. He never took heed,” Mr Ruku said.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku at a past event at the Kenya School of Government, Nairobi on September 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
Mr Gachagua had earlier acknowledged that Prof Kindiki attempted to intervene in the standoff that eventually led to his impeachment. He raised the issue during his November 22, 2025, live interview with Embu vernacular media station.
“Prof Kindiki tried to intervene in my standoff with the President. He told me to be patient and obedient… to be submissive and supportive. I refused. I told him there was no way I would be party to abductions and extrajudicial killings. Kindiki, as Interior Cabinet Secretary, was comfortable with those vices,” Mr Gachagua claimed.
CS Ruku said Mr Gachagua ignored advice and chose to face the consequences, leading to his impeachment.
He added that “Mr Gachagua, instead of listening to wisdom, allowed pride, bullying and condescension to grow during his two years in office, and he had to be hounded out.”
Mr Gachagua, however, said he does not regret the impeachment, claiming, “I have become a major help to Kenyans, who today see me as the only man standing who can face President Ruto and point out his excesses without fear.”
He added: “Ask yourself where this country would be had I not been impeached… I have three remaining missions: unite Mt Kenya, groom young leaders, and remove Ruto from office in the 2027 General Election.”
Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
“As long as Gachagua is in the picture, Mt Kenya must split. The Mountain should split if that will guarantee we remain in government,” he said.
He insisted that Meru, Embu, Tharaka Nithi and parts of Kirinyaga must unite to deliver at least two million votes to President Ruto in 2027.
Speaking on Inooro TV’s Kimuri talk show, Mr Ruku said, “Gachagua must be shown how irrelevant he is in the region; for that reason, we will continue treating him as a political disaster.”
To demonstrate this, he said they are considering inviting President Ruto to trigger another by-election in areas Gachagua has been showcasing as his strongholds, asserting that “we will defeat him.”
The CS also announced that starting in the New Year, President Ruto will embark on an extensive tour of the Mt Kenya region to launch major development projects.
He said the President intends to consolidate Mt Kenya support through development and strategic political engagement, preventing the region from rallying behind Mr Gachagua.
“This is our government. Mt Kenya has the largest representation in Cabinet, among Principal Secretaries, and across general state appointments. We are the ones enjoying the bulk of development allocations. President Ruto cannot be said to be our enemy,” Mr Ruku said.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki congratulates Leo Muthende of UDA after he was declared the winner in the Mbeere North by-election.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi| Nation Media Group
He added that “the President has shown us pure love, and the worst we can do is drive our people into the opposition.”
He noted that many development projects had been delayed but would resume, saying that from January 2026, the President’s Mt Kenya visits would be arranged at the constituency level for maximum impact.
Mr Ruku cautioned Mt Kenya voters against following Mr Gachagua, pointing to the Mbeere North by-election as evidence that the former DP lacks political strength.
In the November 27 by-election, the government-backed candidate, Mr Leonard Muthende, defeated the Gachagua-supported candidate, Mr Newton Karish, by 494 votes.
Mr Muthende garnered 15,802 votes against Mr Karish’s 15,308, translating to a 47 percent win, with a voter turnout of 62 percent.
Although the Karish team has dismissed the results as “bound for annulment in court due to voter bribery, violence, and other electoral malpractices,” Mr Ruku insisted the outcome “was a true barometer of President Ruto’s supremacy in the Mountain.”
“Yet in Mbeere North, President Ruto never set foot. He delegated the campaigns to Prof Kindiki, myself, and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire,” he said.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Mbeere North UDA candidate Leo Wamuthende in Mbeere North Constituency campaigns. Inset: Rigathi Gachagua and opposition candidate Newton Karish.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“We ended up shaming him in all engagement fronts, proving how irrelevant and overrated he is,” Mr Ruku added.
He posed: “If the President’s junior foot soldiers were able to silence Mr Gachagua in Mbeere North, what chance does he have once the President comes to the ground?”
Mr Ruku also warned Mt Kenya government officials that the administration was reviewing how its success story is being communicated to the public.
“President Ruto’s government has a communication problem. Our success story is not being told correctly. It is a problem we must fix. We cannot continue like this,” he said.
