You are a liar! Gachagua fights off Ruto claims, reveals secret deals
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Inset is President William Ruto.
What you need to know:
- He said President Ruto offered him Sh2 billion to resign as deputy president. The offer was made through a senior government official
- The President is involved in business ventures with the Kosovo leader and is also meddling in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping rebels to launder proceeds of illegal gold businesses
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua yesterday launched a bare-knuckle pushback against President William Ruto’s claims that he demanded Sh10 billion to market the government’s agenda in the Mount Kenya region, making a raft of fresh allegations against his former boss.
The former DP, who was ejected from office through impeachment in October last year, in a lengthy live interview on KTN claimed the President sent a senior government official as an emissary to offer him Sh2 billion in exchange for his resignation, failing which he would face ouster from office.
President William Ruto and his deputy address wananchi in Kagumo town, Kirinyaga, during a development tour of the county on August 10, 2024.
“On the Sh10 billion claims, the purpose was to show that Gachagua is a selfish man. I did not blackmail him and if I did, it would have been charge number one in my impeachment motion because he is the one who crafted the motion assisted by NIS (National Intelligence Service),” claimed Mr Gachagua.
The former DP further claimed that he has secret recordings on the financial offer, describing the President as a “liar” and a master of doublespeak. He said that he would release the recording once the officer, who is nearing retirement, leaves office.
“I will release the information so that people know who between me and the President is lying,” he said.
According to Mr Gachagua, the senior officer followed him to Parliament when he was facing his impeachment motion and repeated the same offer, terming it a retirement package. The overtures did not end there, Mr Gachagua said that the government official again followed him to the Senate and repeated the same offer, which he again declined.
The President then allegedly asked for a meeting at State House, which he declined. Afterwards, Mr Gachagua said, they, together with the emissary, met at a safe house run by the NIS where the President offered him the exit package, which he rejected.
"He better make up his mind on why he hounded me out of office. He picked me as running mate because of my mobilisation skills, of people and resources. I put serious money in his campaigns and I am not a person to go asking for money from Mr Ruto,” Mr Gachagua said.
'Now a blackmailer'
“In 2022, he said I was a fantastic mobiliser, self-made man, and a people’s person, but he is now telling people that I am a blackmailer. I spent the money because I thought it was the right thing to do,” he added.
The former DP further alleged that the President is irredeemably corrupt and is involved in business ventures with the Kosovo leader, saying the two own a beach hotel in Mombasa.
He claimed that his former boss is also meddling in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, allegedly helping rebels to launder proceeds of illegal gold businesses.
Further, Mr Gachagua claimed that the fallout between the President and former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi was because he (Muturi) refused to sign off on corrupt deals.
He said the former Attorney-General declined to approve several questionable transactions, including the Arror and Kimwarer dams deals, a Sh129 billion ($1 billion) tree planting deal and several other such contracts.
“The fight between Ruto and Muturi is because he refused to okay corruption, arm twisted by the President to allow money laundering and approve Bills that don’t originate from his office,” he said.
He alleged that the President is the “chief procurement officer” of the current regime, claiming that all deals are signed off at the State House.
“I want to challenge the President that if you are not involved in corruption, transfer the money for markets to counties, but I know he cannot let go,” said Mr Gachagua.
“The government of Kenya, led by the President is a commercial government with everything driven by commercial interests. Everything is an enterprise and everything starts and stops with William Ruto,” he claimed.
The former DP claimed his falling out with the President began just two months into office when Dr Ruto started to renege on their pre-election agreements.
He said they also differed on issues of abductions and extra-judicial killings, which he alleged began when over 100 police officers were transferred to the NIS.
Mr Gachagua stated that although the President honoured the pledge of appointing his allies into the Cabinet, he would put principal secretaries from his region in the same ministries and work directly with them, rendering the ministers mere flower girls.
“That's when I realised he had conned me. He was very abusive when I raised the issues. He called me a fool and told me that if I want to be the appointing authority, then I should run for President,” said Mr Gachagua. “I didn’t want to fight with him but along the way, he started purging people from my community like KRA’s [former Commissioner-General Githii] Mburu, I started fighting back.”
He also pointed out that his fights with the President’s personal assistant, Farouk Kibet, and Dennis Itumbi were because the two run the government in cahoots with the Head of State.
“Farouk Kibet is not a small person. Ministers tremble in his presence. He wanted to run my office and that is when we differed. He wanted to turn my office into a corruption den, and I told him off,” said Mr Gachagua. “The government of Ruto is run by Dennis Itumbi and Farouk. They work in cahoots with the President.”
The ex-DP said he regrets blindly trusting President Ruto and taking him at his word.
“He is a deceptive man, and I went into it blindly. A whole region was deceived by one person. Ruto is a master of deceit and is good at driving a narrative to suit his interests,” he said. “I have no capacity to advise you, Mr President, but nobody can fool the Mt Kenya people twice. Your tricks are now known and nobody will allow you to make them hate their sons again.”
comulo@ke.nationmedia.com