NAIROBI, Kenya — The political chasm between President William Ruto and his estranged former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has deepened, following Gachagua’s sharp rebuke of the President’s recent claims that some political leaders are inciting youth to oust him from power.
President Ruto, visibly angered during the commissioning of a police housing project in Nairobi’s Kilimani area on Wednesday, had declared “enough is enough” to unnamed Kenyans attempting to “change this administration using violence and unlawful means before 2027.”
He sternly stated, “Let them try. This is a democratic nation and Kenyans will choose the nation’s leadership through the ballot. We cannot choose leadership through violence. That is not going to happen in this country.”
In a swift rejoinder, Gachagua convened a press conference at his Karen home shortly after the President’s speech. He advised President Ruto to address the substantive issues raised by Kenyans through recent street protests, rather than “quavering and wailing in uncontrollable anger.”
“Mr Ruto, excessive anger is not a solution; I want to humbly advise you to stop being angry; that won’t help. You need to know what you need to know because you have not been listening to the people of Kenya,” said Gachagua, who was impeached last October following a highly publicized fallout with Ruto.
He further asserted, “They are angrier than you are because you have overtaxed them; there is wanton corruption, extrajudicial killings, ethnic profiling, and other ills that bedevil your administration.”
Recent months have seen an escalation of protests across Kenya, fueled by growing public discontent against the Ruto administration over the rising cost of living and a series of crackdowns on government critics and street demonstrations.
These protests have frequently resulted in deaths, injuries, and abductions. Critics have also widely condemned the police for brutality and the use of live ammunition on unarmed protesters during the youth-led demonstrations.
Gachagua accused President Ruto of “creating a narrative” that there is an unconstitutional plot to overthrow his government. This, Gachagua claimed, is a pretext for the administration to utilize the Terrorism Act to “profile communities and persecute leaders opposed to your administration.”
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“No one wants to overthrow your government or get you out of power through unconstitutional means. We want to remove you from the State House through the ballot in 2027… Unless you decide to resign on your own volition,” Gachagua affirmed.
He urged the President to “Please relax, we want you to serve your one term. Stop crying wolf, there is no leader planning a coup.”
The former Deputy President also offered policy advice to Ruto, urging him to abolish the controversial housing levy and to foster an enabling environment for job creation by “restoring the dignity of the pay slip and the capacity of the middle class.”
“Stop killing and profiling youth, listen to them; stop abductions and extra-judicial killings,” Gachagua told Ruto, while also alleging that the President had “organized militia” to destroy property during recent demonstrations.
