Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fired back at President William Ruto, accusing him of reducing what was supposed to be a development tour in Western Kenya into a personal vendetta against him.

Speaking during a TikTok live session hosted by user @Kuira wa Kabiru on Thursday, January 23, 2025, Gachagua called on Ruto to focus on the purpose of his tour and to stop making disparaging remarks about him.

He further claimed that all the leaders accompanying the president on the Western Kenya tour had done little else but malign his name instead of addressing pressing issues affecting the region.

“The president and his team went there for a development tour, yet Rigathi Gachagua has become the centerpiece of that tour. Instead of discussing roads, they are discussing Rigathi Gachagua. Instead of addressing water and sugarcane farming, they are busy discussing Rigathi Gachagua,” he remarked.

Underdeveloped region

Gachagua highlighted that Western Kenya lags behind in critical areas such as infrastructure, sugarcane farming, and water supply. He questioned why the president appeared more preoccupied with talking about him than addressing these challenges.

“I’m I a road that the president cannot stop talking about me? This region needs roads, water, and support for sugarcane farming. Yet, here we are with a development tour that’s been reduced to discussing Rigathi Gachagua,” he quipped.

Warning to western

An evidently agitated Gachagua went on to caution the people of Western Kenya against falling for what he described as outdated lies from the head of state.

He likened Ruto’s strategy to the one he allegedly employed in Mount Kenya five years ago, which, according to Gachagua, left the region in regret.

“I want to tell the people of Western Kenya to be very, very careful. Learn from us. The president spent five years here in Mount Kenya, wooing us with endless promises. He would spend seven days here, convincing us to vote for him. And we did. But now, he doesn’t even dare visit because we’ve come to know him,” Gachagua warned.

Incompetence

During the live session, which attracted over 8,000 viewers, Gachagua did not mince his words, accusing Ruto of incompetence and corruption. He claimed that even young children in Kenya could identify who the real culprit of corruption was, insisting that Ruto was simply deflecting blame onto him.

“If the president wants to see what incompetence looks like, he should take a mirror and look at himself. Everyone in this country is fed up with how he’s been running things over the last three years. Even in Western Kenya, people know exactly who he is. He’s just wasting his time there,” Gachagua asserted.

The former deputy president also pointed to Ruto’s failed projects, such as the Adani airport deal and the Ksh109 billion SHA program, claiming that Kenyans are well-informed about the shortcomings of his administration.

“When you talk about corruption, even a Grade Four student can tell you who the corrupt person is in this country. People are very intelligent today. This isn’t like the old days when someone could simply point to a person in Nairobi and shout ‘thief,’ and everyone would run after him,” Gachagua added.