Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Sunday (December 8, 2024) launched a scathing attack against President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration, describing it as intolerant to divergent opinions.
In a no-holds-barred speech, the ex-DP accused his former boss of trying to silence critics through intimidation and coercion.
At the same time, Mr Gachagua said that he reads mischief in the continued delay in the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). He said that there is more than meets the eye.
Speaking during a church service in Mwiki, Kasarani in Nairobi, the former Mathira MP told the President to stop targeting his critics after silencing Parliament and the Judiciary.
“We want to ask the government to be tolerant of divergent opinions. If Kenyans say things are not working, don’t get annoyed because it is the people who have employed you. And as your bosses, don’t be angry when they tell you the truth,” he said.
The ex-DP defended the church following a backlash from the government after the clerics launched a stinging attack against the current regime. He said the church has an obligation to speak for Kenyans.
Mr Gachagua told President Ruto’s allies that church leaders have committed no crime in saying the economy is not doing well, same as the social health insurance fund and the affordable housing programme because that is the truth.
The former DP said church leaders are in a better position to know the problems Kenyans are grappling with because they interact with them often.
“Our leaders should respect the church because the voice of the church is the voice of God. MPs have been silenced, and everyone else. If the church doesn’t speak out, then we are finished,” said Mr Gachagua.
He was accompanied by Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, Nyandarua Senator John Methu, Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara, Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina, Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, and Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia.
“I have come here with a big team. These are the heroes of this country. They are special leaders who cannot sell the country for their stomach. These are servants of the nation and heroes of the community,” he said.
On the IEBC, Mr Gachagua said the continued lack of a working electoral agency might plunge the country into chaos. Quoting the Kriegler Commission’s report, he said an electoral body should be in place three years before a General Election, yet the country lacks one.
Elsewhere, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has urged President Ruto to avert a constitutional crisis by having the IEBC in place.
Speaking at PCEA Nguthuru Parish-ELIM Church in Kenol, Murang’a County, he said that the Azimio coalition had adhered to the strict timelines of the court and presented the name of Koki Muli for the IEBC Selection Panel.
“The State has filed an appeal with the High Court in Kiambu against our decision. They want candidates who are easy to manipulate. It is a Ruto strategy to ensure there is no IEBC,” said Mr Musyoka, adding that Speaker Moses Wetang’ula is also part of the conspiracy against Kenyans.
If they had taken time to marshal Parliament, as they did with Riggy G, the country would not be in a constitutional crisis,” he added.
He was accompanied by former Kiambu County Governor Ferdinand Waititu, Jubilee Party Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni, former MPs for Limuru and Kiambu Peter Mwathi and Jude Jomo, respectively.
