‘He was really harassed by the president’ – Gachagua reacts to claims Muturi incited people to reject Ruto’s speech
By Steve Ireri, January 23, 2025
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has addressed circulating claims that embattled Public Service CS Justin Muturi coerced Embu residents to reject President William Ruto’s speech.
Speaking during a TikTok live session on Thursday, January 23, 2025, Gachagua dismissed the allegations, asserting that it was the residents themselves who chose to reject the speech.
He explained that the public’s disinterest in anything associated with President Ruto was evident, but the administration, unwilling to accept this reality, was unjustly blaming Muturi.
Gachagua emphasized that the people of the Mt. Kenya region had grown weary of Ruto, and the repeated rejection of his speeches should serve as a clear warning to the president.
“So if you find people of this region refusing to accept even your condolence messages, they are through with you forever. It’s unnecessary to harass Justin Muturi over this. They are accusing him of inciting people to reject the president’s speech, but that is not true,” Gachagua remarked.
Targeting Muturi
The former deputy president went on to reveal that after the Embu burial incident, where Ruto’s condolence message was publicly rejected, the president began threatening Muturi over the phone.
Gachagua disclosed that Ruto had sent Muturi harsh messages, some of which included insults, even late at night.
He criticized the president for linking public rejection of his leadership to an individual and warned that such reactions from Mt. Kenya residents would only increase.
“Muturi was seriously abused by the president. He received very offensive messages at night, accusing him of inciting people to reject the president’s condolence message. That is extremely unfair to Muturi. The truth is, it’s the people of Mt. Kenya who refused, and they will continue rejecting him,” Gachagua said.
Warning to Western
During the final moments of the TikTok live session, hosted by user @Kairu wa Kega, Gachagua issued a stern warning to residents of Western Kenya, where President Ruto is currently conducting a development tour.
He cautioned them against believing Ruto’s promises, describing them as blatant lies, and urged them to learn from Mt. Kenya’s experience.
He recounted how, during his 2022 campaign trail, Ruto spent days in the Mt. Kenya region making promises that he never fulfilled after being elected.
“I want to tell the people of Western Kenya to be very, very careful. Learn from us. The president spent five years here in Mt. Kenya, wooing us with endless promises. He would spend seven days here, convincing us to vote for him and we did, but now, he doesn’t even dare visit because we’ve come to know him,” Gachagua warned.