In his latest scathing public critique of his former boss, ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that many Kenyans still hold him responsible for supporting President William Ruto’s rise to power.

Speaking on February 27, 2025, during the launch of Martha Karua’s People’s Liberation Party, Gachagua expressed his frustration over Ruto’s leadership, narrating how he has been personally blamed for endorsing him.

“Many people from home have tried to blame me: ‘You are the one who brought us this man, you said you knew him, that he would put money in our pockets.’ Instead, what has he done? He has taken away the little we had. Now people are confronting me, shouting at me, but what can I do? I am defending myself,” Gachagua lamented.

He further argued that Ruto’s leadership has disappointed many, accusing him of deceit and broken promises.

“In a record two years, it has been nothing but a package of lies and lies and lies,” he said.

The former Deputy President, who was impeached last year, noted that he began to see a change in Ruto’s priorities after just a few months in office.

“After six or eight months, I started to see who this man really was. I started telling him to slow down on taking money from people’s pockets after promising we would put money in. He told me to stop being stubborn,” Gachagua said.

Ordinary Kenyan

Continuing with his defence, Gachagua portrayed himself as an ordinary Kenyan arguing he was deceived just like everyone else.

“I am just an ordinary person, an ordinary Kenyan. I was born in Wamunyoro, I haven’t studied much, I don’t have a PhD, I don’t have a Master’s degree, just an ordinary person. But if this man can deceive bishops—those who have been anointed with oil by reverends and pastors—who am I, Rigathi Gachagua?” he questioned.

The former Deputy President further said that when he raised concerns about fulfilling campaign promises, Ruto dismissed them as mere rhetoric.

“I told him, let’s complete the Mau Mau roads and the other projects we had started. He said, ‘Forget that, let’s build houses instead.’ I asked him, ‘What about the promises we made to Kenyans?’ He said, ‘Forget about those promises, that was just for the campaign; that was just talk,’” Gachagua stated.

According to Gachagua, when he questioned how they would explain the unfulfilled promises to Kenyans in the next election, Ruto brushed off his concerns.

“I asked him what we’ll tell people when we go back for elections and he said ‘We’ll figure that out,'” Gachagua said.

Potential alliance

During the launch of Martha Karua’s People’s Liberation Party (PLP), Gachagua was joined by Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa, and other notable leaders.

The formation of PLP comes amid growing efforts by Karua, Gachagua, Kalonzo, and Wamalwa to forge a strong alliance ahead of the 2027 general election.

Their objective is to mount a formidable challenge against President William Ruto’s administration.

The group has been holding a series of meetings to solidify their support, particularly in the Mount Kenya region, where Gachagua has been actively consolidating his political base. Karua and Gachagua have met publicly at least twice in recent weeks.