Gachagua: Ruto wanted to deny Karungo Thang’wa UDA senatorial ticket
By Mabonga Makhanu, March 13, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has recalled how Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa was on the verge of losing his ticket in 2022 after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) barred him from contesting.
While speaking during a condolence visit to his Ruiru home to console him following the demise of his mother on Thursday, March 12, 2026, the former DP stated that the IEBC had cited the fact that he had been impeached together with former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu, and therefore, he was not eligible to run.
According to Gachagua, once this became evident, many people within the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) had already started scrambling for the ticket, hoping it would be handed to them instead.
He specifically pointed fingers at the current government spokesman, Isaac Mwaura, as among those who were desperate for the ticket.
He went on to say that when the issue was brought to his attention, he decided to intervene by calling a few lawyers, who assured him that there was a possibility for Karungo to win the case.
Gachagua further stated that President William Ruto and the then UDA secretary general, Veronicah Maina, had already accepted to issue the ticket to Isaac Mwaura, something he argued would have been a bad idea.
“The IEBC had stated that Karungo was not eligible to run since he had been impeached alongside Waititu; there were a lot of people who were waiting for that ticket, and Ruto had made the decision of giving out the ticket together with Veronicah Maina and giving it to Isaac Mwaura,” Gachagua said.
His intervention
He continued to state that he pushed Karungo to seek legal representation to defend himself before the IEBC, something that later proved successful.
Karungo was eventually allowed to contest the senatorial seat and went on to emerge as the winner with a huge margin.
Gachagua went on to praise Karungo as a great leader, saying that if another person had been selected, it could have been a disgrace to the community since Karungo is a defender of the community.
He cited the events of 2024 during his impeachment, when Karungo chose to stand with him despite intimidation.
Murkomen’s account
This also comes days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen gave a different account, recalling how he helped convince Karungo to join UDA after he had maintained a hardline stance that he would use a Jubilee Party ticket to run for the Kiambu senatorial seat.
Murkomen stated that he was the one who convinced him until he eventually chose to decamp and use the UDA ticket.