EMBU, Kenya — Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has escalated his public exchange with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, claiming he repeatedly warned him to remain loyal to President William Ruto while serving as Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Kindiki made the remarks on Saturday, August 15, at the Mt Kenya East Elders Solemn Assembly in Nembure, Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, as political competition intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He said he had visited Gachagua at night on several occasions during his tenure as Interior CS and advised him to maintain a strong working relationship with Ruto.
“I came to visit you many nights when I was the Interior Cabinet Secretary and told you to be loyal to the President so that in the future you could also be in his position,” Kindiki said.
The deputy president claimed Gachagua dismissed his advice and is now attacking the government after losing his position.
“But you despised me and told me I don’t know what I was saying. Now you are making noise from the outside,” he said.
Kindiki links Gachagua’s removal to ‘overconfidence’
Kindiki attributed Gachagua’s removal from the deputy presidency to what he described as excessive confidence, saying he had attempted to intervene before their political differences escalated.
“Your overconfidence is what removed you from office, and I had told you. I do not want to be like you,” Kindiki said.
Gachagua was impeached by the National Assembly and subsequently removed from office by the Senate in October 2024 after lawmakers backed allegations including violation of the Constitution, abuse of office and gross misconduct. Gachagua denied the allegations.
Kindiki also warned that he could disclose details of what he described as efforts to assist Gachagua while the two were serving in government.
“Do not push me to expose the secret of how I tried to help you,” he said.
The remarks add a new dimension to the increasingly personal political rivalry between the two former and current deputy presidents.
‘You are my brother by blood’
Kindiki also responded to disagreements over how he refers to Gachagua, saying the former deputy president could not dictate the language he uses when addressing him.
“I want to tell you this, Mr Rigathi: it is not upon you to tell me how I should call you. It is not your business; it is mine,” Kindiki said.
He said his decision to describe Gachagua as his brother was based on the shared heritage and historical ties among communities in the Mt Kenya region.
“I am not calling you my brother because I love you or am afraid of you,” Kindiki said.
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“I call you my brother because the elders of the Kikuyu, Meru, Embu and Mbeere communities told me that we are one community. You are my brother by blood, not by choice.”
The remarks were delivered at an event where elders from Mt Kenya East were seeking to strengthen political cooperation between the eastern and western sides of the region.
The elders have endorsed President Ruto and Kindiki’s re-election bid in 2027 and backed Kindiki’s future presidential ambitions.
Rivalry intensifies ahead of 2027
Kindiki’s latest comments come as his political rivalry with Gachagua increasingly shapes the contest for influence in Mt Kenya.
Gachagua, who leads the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), has emerged as a prominent critic of the Ruto administration and has vowed to challenge the President’s re-election bid.
He has also accused Ruto and Kindiki of attempting to divide Mt Kenya by cultivating separate political support among communities in the region.
Kindiki, meanwhile, has increasingly taken a more direct political role in defending the administration and promoting unity among Mt Kenya communities.
The competing approaches have placed the two former government colleagues at the centre of a growing struggle over who will command political influence in Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 election.
For Kindiki, Saturday’s remarks also offered a direct response to Gachagua’s increasingly vocal criticism of the government—and a reminder that the rivalry between the two leaders is likely to remain a significant feature of Kenya’s political landscape as the 2027 campaign takes shape.
