NAKURU, Kenya — Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has told President William Ruto to stop blaming former President Uhuru Kenyatta for his political troubles and instead prepare to face him at the 2027 General Election.
Gachagua, speaking during a political tour of Nakuru on Friday, August 14, said the challenges facing Ruto’s administration were the result of decisions made by the government and should not be attributed to the former President.
He also portrayed himself as Ruto’s principal political challenger and vowed to lead the effort to remove the President from office at the next election.
Gachagua’s remarks came a day after Ruto accused Uhuru of financing and sponsoring opposition politicians seeking to undermine his administration.
The exchange has intensified a growing political confrontation ahead of the 2027 election, with both sides increasingly turning their attacks towards the former allies’ competing political camps.
Gachagua tells Ruto to leave Uhuru alone
Gachagua said Ruto should stop invoking Uhuru Kenyatta when explaining the problems facing his administration.
He argued that Uhuru left office in 2022 after handing over power to Ruto and that the current government should take responsibility for its own record.
“Kasongo amekwama… Anawaambia shida yake ni Uhuru Kenyatta. Kasongo, achana na Uhuru Kenyatta,” Gachagua said.
The former deputy president accused Ruto’s administration of undermining the rule of law and allowing what he described as unacceptable governance practices.
“Shida yako ni wewe, umejiletea wewe mwenyewe. Uhuru hashindani na wewe, hatakuwa kwa debe. Yule mpinzani wako ni Gachagua, ndiye utapambana na yeye,” he said.
In English, Gachagua’s message was that Ruto’s problem was his own record and that Uhuru would not be on the ballot in 2027. He said Ruto’s principal opponent would be Gachagua himself.
Gachagua has previously used similar rhetoric to position himself as a direct challenger to Ruto, and his latest comments further sharpened that positioning. Current reporting also shows him telling Ruto to focus on him rather than Uhuru.
Gachagua predicts opposition victory
Gachagua went further, predicting a decisive opposition victory in the 2027 General Election.
He said the result would amount to a vote of no confidence in Ruto’s administration and claimed his political mobilisation was already gaining ground in regions that had previously supported the President.
“Mimi nitapambana na wewe,” Gachagua said, before claiming he had already displaced Ruto politically in parts of the Rift Valley.
He also repeated his warning that his removal from the deputy presidency would ultimately cost Ruto politically.
“Huyu ulifukuza ndiye atakuja kukutoa katika kiti cha urais,” he said.
The remarks echo Gachagua’s increasingly direct campaign against his former political ally, with the former deputy president openly presenting the 2027 contest as a personal political showdown between the two men.
Ruto accuses Uhuru of sponsoring opposition
The latest exchange follows Ruto’s political attack on Uhuru during his tour of Eldoret on Thursday.
The President accused his predecessor of sponsoring opposition figures seeking to remove him from office and questioned Uhuru’s record on some of the major issues now being raised by his political opponents.
Ruto pointed to affordable housing, universal health coverage and education, asking what Uhuru had achieved on those issues during his presidency.
“Mkipima wale watu, ule sponsor wao, alishindwa na maneno ya Affordable Housing? Alishindwa na mambo ya Universal Health Coverage? Alishindwa na maneno ya kusomesha watoto wetu?” Ruto asked.
The President also accused his political opponents of relying on slogans such as “one term” and “must go” rather than presenting a clear alternative programme for governing the country.
“Hawa watu hawana mpango, sera, agenda,” Ruto said.
Ruto’s remarks represented a direct escalation in his criticism of Uhuru, who left office in 2022 after serving two terms. Current reporting confirms that Ruto accused the retired President of acting as a sponsor of opposition efforts against his administration.
Uhuru becomes centre of political confrontation
The renewed exchange has placed Uhuru at the centre of an increasingly intense political dispute despite his absence from the 2027 presidential ballot.
Gachagua’s argument is that Ruto should focus on those who will actually contest the election rather than blame a former President who is constitutionally ineligible to seek another presidential term after serving two terms.
Ruto, however, has portrayed Uhuru as a political force behind some of the opposition activity directed at his administration.
Also Read: Ruto declares UDA-ODM alliance must win 2027 election
The claims about Uhuru’s alleged financial support for opposition politicians remain political allegations and have not been independently established in the statements cited by either side.
The former President has nevertheless remained politically relevant, with opposition figures and parties responding to Ruto’s latest attacks. Jubilee, for example, has criticised the continued focus on Uhuru, arguing that the government should concentrate on issues affecting Kenyans rather than continue campaigning against a former President who left office in 2022.
2027 battle takes shape
The confrontation comes as political parties and leaders position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Gachagua’s declaration that he is Ruto’s main rival adds another dimension to an opposition landscape that remains fluid, with multiple politicians seeking influence and possible roles in a future coalition.
For Ruto, the political challenge is increasingly coming from former allies who once helped build the coalition that brought him to power.
For Gachagua, his break with Ruto has become the central theme of his political mobilisation, with the former deputy president portraying his removal from office as part of the political conflict that will ultimately determine the 2027 election.
The latest exchange suggests that the Ruto-Gachagua rivalry is likely to remain one of the defining political battles as Kenya moves closer to the next presidential election.
