Gachagua to Ruto: If you are man enough, come insult me here in Mt Kenya
By Kenneth Mwenda, March 28, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has challenged his former ally, President William Ruto, to confront him directly in Mount Kenya.
Gachagua urged Ruto to stop making statements about him in other regions and face him on his home ground.
Speaking to supporters in Kirinyaga County on Saturday, March 28, 2026, Gachagua accused the president of spreading falsehoods about the coffee sector and claimed Ruto had mismanaged the industry during his tenure.
“Wewe Kasongo, nimeskia juzi, ukienda kwa Wajaluo, kuongea mambo ya kahawa. Kudanganya Wajaluo, ati mimi ndio niliharibu kahawa. Kasongo, wewe, ndio uliharibu kahawa. Ukashikana na macartel, ukasambaratisha sector ya Kahawa. Ukashikana na macartel, ukaharibu kahawa yetu. Ile shillingi billioni saba, iliweza kusaidia wakulima wa kahawa, ukachukua, ukaiba,” he stated.
Gachagua added that coffee affairs should be discussed in the region where the crop is grown.
“Mimi nataka nikwambie Kasongo, mambo ya kahawa, hapana ongea kwa Wajaluo. Kama wewe ni mwanaume kamili, kuja Karumandi hapa, uongee mambo ya kahawa.”
He also said the president continues to insult him far from Mt Kenya and challenged him to do so in the central highlands.
“Wewe Kasongo, nimeona, unaenda kwa Waluhya, unaenda kwa Wajaluo kutukana Riggy G. Jana ulikuwa Thika, ulikuwa Juja; kama wewe ni mwanaume, kwa nini hukuongea mambo ya Riggy G ukiwa hapa mlimani? Kama wewe ni mwanaume kamili, kuja hapa Kirinyaga, hapa mlimani, utusi Rigathi Gachagua, kiongozi wa Mlima Kenya, utajua hujui. Wewe Kasongo ni muoga. Kama wewe umejipima, umefikisha kilo ya mwanaume kamili, kuja hapa mlimani umtusi Riggy G,” he said.
Heated exchanges escalate
The remarks follow a series of personal attacks between the two leaders in recent weeks. In Kiambu, Gachagua had previously said: “How much is enough, Mr Ruto? Just how much is enough? Unataka pesa ngapi? Lakini uzuri hata akiwa na hio pesa yote halali. Si mmeona amekonda mpaka maskio imekuja juu?”
Ruto, who has responded, has accused Gachagua and other opposition leaders of corruption and mismanagement. In one speech, he stated: “You cold-blooded thief, stealing from your own brother, stealing from orphans, stealing from widows, and you want to give us a lecture…”
Adding fuel to the political fire, the National Assembly Majority Leader, Kimani Ichung’wah, was heckled on Friday, March 27, while addressing a rally in Juja, Kiambu County, in the presence of President Ruto. Ichung’wah, who accompanied the president on a development tour, faced loud interruptions as he attempted to rally residents against the opposition and highlight ongoing projects.
Sections of the crowd waved him off and shouted objections, forcing him to cut his speech short. He later shifted focus to development projects, but the reception remained hostile.
Observers interpreted the backlash as a possible message to the president, signalling discontent within a key electoral region for him.