Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fired a rejoinder to President Ruto’s remarks that he will not relinquish power to the opposition.

Gachagua said that while Ruto is talking about handing over power, the constitution stipulates the assumption of office from the incumbent to the incoming president.

“The constitution does not talk about handing over the sword (instruments of power). There is no provision for handing over, but it talks about the assumption of office. Even if the incumbent does not show up in Kasarani, power will still be handed over to the next president,” Gachagua said when he was hosted in Kameme FM’s Arahuka show, adding that Ruto is not required in person during the event.  

“But it is good that he has admitted that in 2027 he will be ousted from office by the opposition.”

Ruto on Sunday, June 15, 2025, slammed the opposition, stating that its leaders are unfit to succeed him in 2027 since they have no agenda for the country apart from their intensified campaigns against him.

“Some of these people have no plan. We cannot hand over to people whose only plan is ‘Ruto must go’. How will that help you?” the president said when he attended a church service in Lugari, Kakamega.

He accused the opposition of being overambitious in ousting him in 2027, yet they haven’t shown Kenyans how they will create jobs for the unemployed youth, make the agricultural sector profitable to the farmers and transform the education sector.

In defence, Gachagua, who is among the co-principals in the new opposition, dismissed Ruto’s claims that they have no agenda for the country, emphasising that their plan is first to send Ruto home, then fulfil the wishes of Kenyans to restore dysfunctional government programmes.

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“When we engage Kenyans, they are tasking us with the responsibility of rebuilding education, the health sector and revamping the economy by restoring a good climate for doing business. All these plans cannot be accomplished while Ruto is still in office, and that’s why we have prioritised sending him home first,” the former DP said.

Over the planned commemoration of the Gen-Z who were killed last year during the Anti-Finance Bill protests on June 25, 2024, Gachagua warned the youth from holding a public event, alleging that they might be attacked by state-sponsored goons, resulting in killings and bloodshed.

“I am fearing for our youth, state-sponsored goons might attack and kill them. The level of desperation with Ruto and his allies is very high. It can be very disheartening to see bloodshed. I am urging the youth not to hold protests because they will be setting themselves up for being killed,” Gachagua said.

Wading into a debate on the murder of Albert Ojwang’ in a cell at Central Police Station, the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader further stated that Ruto has been using Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and now-ousted Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat to silence government critics.

Junior police officers implicated in Ojwang’s case, he said, were only sacrificial lambs to cover up the atrocities committed by Murkomen and Lagat.

DCP boss hit out at Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja whom he criticised for hiring goons to infiltrate and disrupt recent peaceful protests during the reading of budget estimates in Parliament on Thursday, June 12, 2025, by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.