Gachagua urges Kenyans in US to lobby on non-NATO ally probe
By Faith Lagat, August 10, 2025Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has urged Kenyans living in the United States to actively lobby US senators and congressmen in support of a bill seeking to review Kenya’s status as a Major Non-NATO Ally.
Speaking during a town hall meeting on Sunday, August 10, 2025, Gachagua said the legislation presents an opportunity to hold President William Ruto accountable for what he described as a slide into dictatorship.
Call for diaspora action
Gachagua’s appeal comes in the wake of a US Senate bill sponsored by Senator James Risch, which proposes an investigation into Kenya’s Non-NATO Ally designation over alleged links with non-state armed groups and foreign terrorist organisations. The former DP accused President Ruto of undermining independent institutions and ruling without oversight.
“What is going on back at home is that the president we elected, and most of you voted for him, has turned against the people of Kenya and has become a dictator who cannot be told by anybody,” he said. He urged diaspora Kenyans to give US legislators “the facts on what is happening back at home” to strengthen the bill’s case.
Gachagua stressed he had no role in introducing the legislation but supports it because it mirrors concerns he has raised locally, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and alleged dealings with Sudan’s RSF militia and Somalia’s Al-Shabaab.
Criticism over governance
The former DP said the situation in Kenya had reached “crisis levels”, accusing the president of presiding over a climate of impunity that has drawn global attention. He argued that the bill in Washington reflects mounting alarm over Ruto’s governance, remarking, “The impunity in Kenya by William Ruto and his mafia has reached Washington.”
He rejected claims that he influenced the U.S. Senate’s action, insisting it is driven by American legislators based on their own findings. “I did not bring the matter, but I support it because the issues raised are the same I raise every day,” he stated.
Gen Z opposition movement
Gachagua praised Kenya’s youth, particularly the Gen Z movement, for stepping into the political vacuum left by weakened opposition parties. He said young protesters have faced violent abductions, extrajudicial killings, and intimidation for challenging the government’s policies.
“Since nature abhors a vacuum, our young children, Gen Zs, have filled the space and become the opposition in Kenya,” he said, calling their resilience a source of hope.
Gachagua warned that continued governance failures could erode Kenya’s global standing, jeopardising critical defence and security ties with the United States. “Mr William Ruto must answer to the people of Kenya and take full responsibility for shaming our beloved country,” he concluded.