Rigathi Gachagua Pleads With William Ruto To Allow Him Finish His Term As DP: "Please, Mr President"

• Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has revealed the crises within the presidency, putting him at a disadvantage
• He claimed operatives within President William Ruto's circle had been out to humiliate him and set him up for trouble
• Gachagua, therefore, pleaded with Ruto to intervene and tame his loyalists, who he suggested had been invested in frustrating him

Eli Odaga, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has explicitly spoken about the humiliations meted out to him within the presidency.

He implicated operatives at State House Nairobi whom he accused of standing in his way to deliver on his mandate.

Why Gachagua is angry at Ruto

The deputy president decried being despised by Cabinet secretaries and other juniors who have exploded into an- all-out war against him.

Gachagua, appearing on a Citizen TV interview, seemed to lay the blame on President William Ruto, implying that the latter had stepped back to see him face trouble.

"The deputy president is abused by people in his car, and he (Ruto) is silent; Cabinet secretaries are abusing the DP, and the president is quiet," said Gachagua.

In an appeal to the president, Gachagua reminded him of the vow he made when they got into office after the 2022 vote.

He recalled that Ruto promised not to allow denigration on him (Gachagua), as was the case during former president Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure when the current president was humiliated.

"He assured me and my wife and children that what he went through would not happen. We had a meeting with him, and he assured us," he revealed.

With the current goings-on, Gachagua seemed wary of the troubles surrounding his tenure in office, pleading with the president not to allow his impeachment.

He appreciated having gone through the worst already and that he had had enough of it.

"I never knew this would happen. Even if there is a jinx around this office, at least President William Ruto was allowed to work for five years. I have only worked for one year, and what is happening to me is worse. Please, Mr President, allow me to work for the remaining three years. Keep your promise and win the trust of people back," he said.

Why Gachagua doesn't attend presidential functions

In the same interview, Gachagua sought to absolve himself of accusations of being a no-show in presidential functions.

He revealed that he was kicked out of a WhatsApp group where the events in Ruto's diary are outlined.

Gachagua said he now shows up in events he has only been invited to, as he no longer can align his diary with that of the president, having been unceremoniously removed from the foregoing WhatsApp forum.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke