With almost a year having elapsed since former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was unceremoniously thrown out of office, he remains a wounded man.

During his impeachment, some leaders, most of them from Mt Kenya, stood by his side, offering him a shoulder to lean on during his difficult time.

At that point, the former DP seemed to have more political enemies than friends, at a time when he desperately needed allies to help save him from impeachment. Unfortunately, this was not the case—he had many enemies and very few friends.

Those few loyal friends, especially MPs and senators, have since started abandoning him, with some now joining hands with the very people who supported his impeachment to throw tantrums at him.

The cause of these fallouts remains unknown to the public.

Kimani Ngunjiri

The first leader to ditch Gachagua’s camp was former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri. During Gachagua’s impeachment process, Ngunjiri was a vocal supporter and was visibly emotional at the time of the Senate vote on October 17, 2024.

He visited Gachagua at Karen Hospital, where the former deputy president had been admitted with chest pains, and broke down in tears, expressing frustration with the government for proceeding with the impeachment despite Gachagua’s hospitalisation. Ngunjiri stated:

“They can take all his property, but his health should be paramount. We leave everything to God and will see him tomorrow,” showing strong loyalty at the time.

By April 23, 2025, however, Ngunjiri had publicly distanced himself from Gachagua, citing ideological differences and discomfort with Gachagua’s “tribal political posturing.”

In an interview on a local radio station, he criticised Gachagua’s combative rhetoric and his plan to launch the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) as a Mount Kenya–focused party, warning that it could polarise Kenya ahead of the 2027 elections. Ngunjiri specifically opposed Gachagua’s regional focus, saying:

“There are some things he says, and I disagree with him. When he says there is this party for Mlima, that’s profiling Kikuyus in one basket, and we might end up with 41 tribes against one.”

He also urged Gachagua to campaign in politically diverse regions like Nyanza or Rift Valley to broaden his appeal, indicating a clear break.

During the same interview, Ngunjiri discussed his emotional reaction to seeing Gachagua during the impeachment process at Karen Hospital in October 2024. He noted that he had been moved to tears by the Senate’s decision to proceed with the impeachment despite Gachagua’s hospitalisation.

He further explained his frustration with the government’s disregard for Gachagua’s health but clarified that their fallout stemmed from Gachagua’s tribal political strategy with the DCP.

Ngunjiri Wambugu

Another leader who was very close to Gachagua in the run-up to, during, and a few days after his impeachment was former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu.

Wambugu was a close ally of Gachagua, serving as a communications expert in his office from November 1, 2023, where he was tasked with improving Gachagua’s public image amid political challenges.

He described his role as professional rather than political, focusing on branding Gachagua and managing public perception during his tenure as Deputy President.

Wambugu was often out defending the former DP. One notable incident was when he accompanied Gachagua to Mombasa in a passenger plane during his embattled days.

This did not sit well with many people, who condemned it, questioning how a whole deputy president could board a passenger flight to Mombasa carrying his own suitcase. Wambugu was alongside him, and critics claimed it was just a PR stunt orchestrated by Wambugu.

Since May 7, 2025, however, Wambugu officially decamped from Gachagua’s camp and announced that he had joined former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party.

Since then, he has been going hard on his former boss, utilising every platform to hit at him. The majority of his posts, especially on Facebook, target Gachagua, exposing his shortcomings.

It seems that out of ten posts, seven attack Gachagua. The reason for their fallout remains unknown and may only be known to the two.

Maragua MP Mary Wamaua

Another leader was Maragua MP Mary Wamaua.

Wamaua was a vocal supporter of Gachagua during his impeachment process in October 2024. She opposed the impeachment motion in the National Assembly, where 281 MPs voted in favour on October 8, 2024, and was among the 44 who voted against it. She expressed regret that Gachagua was being targeted for advocating unity in the Mount Kenya region and called for careful handling of the motion.

She was the one who came out and linked Raila Odinga to Gachagua’s impeachment.

Wamaua stood by Gachagua during critical moments, including visiting him at Karen Hospital when he was admitted with chest pains during the Senate trial on October 17, 2024.

She also accompanied him to public events post-impeachment, such as a church function in Embu County during a consecration of a Catholic bishop, an event attended by both President William Ruto and his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.

On April 3, 2025, during President Ruto’s development tour in Murang’a County, Wamaua publicly announced her withdrawal of support for Gachagua and pledged loyalty to Ruto ahead of the 2027 elections. In her speech, she acknowledged a “momentary misstep” in her past alignment with Gachagua, saying:

“Professor Kithure Kindiki is my good friend. Right from November, we were talking with Kindiki, and he is here. Your Excellency, since December, we had started talking, and I told you that you are my friend, even though I slipped a little.”

This marked a dramatic political shift.

Kangema MP Peter Irungu

The Kangema MP, Peter Kihungi Irung’u, initially stood in solidarity with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during his impeachment in October 2024 but later distanced himself, choosing to align with President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.

“It is very hard to serve while fighting the government. I urge President Ruto and Mr Gachagua to close ranks again and work together to make it easier to serve at the Mt Kenya grassroots.”

“Mr President, please give us Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers to help our farmers deal with vervet monkeys. In Kangema, vervet monkeys are even attacking our women,” Irungu pleaded.

A person who was always alongside Gachagua post-impeachment later ditched him at the beginning of this year and joined the Ruto-Kindiki team, advising Gachagua to shun tribalism.

Despite these leaders ditching him, other leaders have joined his camp—those who, during his impeachment, supported the move to have him removed from office but who now seem to lean towards his side.