Gachagua: Ruto’s decision to hound me out of office was made before 2022 elections
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, June 4, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that President William Ruto’s plan to remove him from office was conceived long before the 2022 General Election, alleging that their political partnership was merely a strategic arrangement aimed at securing votes from the Mt Kenya region.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Thursday, June 3, 2026, Gachagua said he eventually realised that efforts to edge him out of government had been predetermined, despite the two leaders presenting a united front during the campaign period and after assuming office.
“We used to pretend in functions that we were together, but we were no longer together. The decision to hound me out of office was made before we were elected, and I came to realise it after a while,” Gachagua said.
Ruto’s choice for Kindiki
Gachagua has said that there were two camps within the Kenya Kwanza coalition before the election, one supporting the then Tharaka Nithi senator Kithure Kindiki and another backing him for the deputy president position.
“In his heart, he wanted Kindiki to be the deputy president, but he observed and noted that Kindiki had no capacity or influence to gather the mountain region’s votes. On the other hand, he saw that Gachagua had the ability and the capacity to gather the mountain votes to help him become president,” he stated.
The former deputy president further said that Ruto persuaded Kindiki to step aside from pursuing the deputy president slot, promising that he would be compensated after the elections.
Gachagua stated that Kindiki was assured of a senior position in government, including the Interior Ministry, and would later support efforts to push him out of office.
“Ruto urged Kindiki to step aside from the ambitions, promising him that he would make it up to him after the elections. He promised Kindiki the Interior Ministry, saying he would count on his support to remove me from office,” Gachagua said.
The former DP also accused the president of preferring loyalists who do not challenge his decisions, claiming that his troubles began because he was willing to speak out and defend the interests of ordinary Kenyans.
“Ruto wanted a ‘Yes, Sir’ kind of person,” Gachagua added.