President William Ruto has shed light on the fallout between him and his former deput Rigathi Gachagua, describing how their once-solid partnership gradually crumbled like a house of cards.

In a no-holds-barred media interview on Monday, March 31, 2025, Ruto revealed the messy details of his fallout with the former deputy president, describing a strained partnership marred by internal disputes and conflicting leadership approaches.

According to Ruto, the friction began soon after they assumed office, with endless controversies and disagreements dominating their working relationship. The president noted that Gachagua often found himself entangled in petty grievances against individuals within the administration, which Ruto felt distracted them from their core mission of serving Kenyans.

“After uchaguzi, tulianza kazi. Mambo matatu yalitokea, ya kwanza kesi kila siku, ooh ‘Itumbi amesema sijui ameandika nini’. Nikaita Itumbui na Tukafanya kesi. Baada ya wiki moja, Farouk Kibet, PA, mtu mdogo ‘amesema amefanya’, tukafanya kesi. Kidogo kidogo ‘Ndindi Nyoro amefanya, ameitisha mkutano Kiharu sijui amepanga wabunge, mbona amepanga wabunge wendi’, nikaita Ndindi Nyoro tufanya kesi, kuisha iyo, sijui Kimani Ichung’wah amefanya nini,” Ruto stated.

“Mpaka sasa nikamuuliza sasa wewe ni Deputy President, blogger huyu unasumbuana na yeye nini, PA mtu mdogo sana unasumbuana na yeye kwa nini, hawa vijana. Nikamwambia tafadhali tufanye kazi ya wakenya. Baadaye akaanza vita na wabunge, akaanza kuwaambia kwamba wasipompigia magoti, kabla December wataenda Nyumbani, na wabunge wakamwambia kabla December watamshughulikia.”

Loosely translated;

“After the elections, we began working. Three things happened. First, there were cases every day, like ‘Oh, Itumbi has said something, or I don’t know what he has written.’ I called Itumbi, and we dealt with the case. After a week, Farouk Kibet, the PA, a junior person, ‘has done something,’ so we dealt with the case.

Then, little by little, ‘Ndindi Nyoro has done something, he has called a meeting in Kiharu, I don’t know if he has organized MPs, why has he gathered so many MPs?’ I called Ndindi Nyoro, and we dealt with the case. After that, I don’t know what Kimani Ichung’wah had done.

So, I asked him, ‘You are the Deputy President, why are you getting into conflicts with this blogger? Why are you getting involved with a mere PA, a very junior person? Why are you getting into issues with these young men?’ I told him, ‘Please, let’s focus on the work for Kenyans.’

Later, he started fights with MPs, telling them that if they did not kneel before him, they would be sent home before December. And the MPs told him that before December, they would deal with him.”

"Ndatetagira project cia thirikari" – President Ruto gutariria kiria giatumire maumanwo na Rigathi Gachagua. pic.twitter.com/8OEWjqtsKo

— Kameme TV (@KamemeTvKenya) March 31, 2025

Distracted

The president explained that Gachagua’s apparent obsession with internal wrangles and perceived slights from junior officers only worsened matters. What particularly disappointed him was Gachagua’s reluctance to promote government programs and initiatives to the public.

Ruto indicated that his deputy’s failure to actively engage the public and articulate government policies ultimately contributed to their fallout.

Instead of focusing on promoting the administration’s agenda, the head of state asserted that Gachagua spent much of his time embroiled in unnecessary confrontations and political battles.

“Kazi ya naib wa raisi ni kusaidia rais. Nikiwa naibu wa Uhuru Kenyatta nilienda kwa TV stations mingi kuliko rais, kwa sababu ni kazi ya naibu kuprofile maendeleo ya nchi. Nyinyi mliona Gachagua akienda TV stations kuongea juu ya barabara, Stima, au programm ya UHC ata siku moja? For two years he never stepped in media houses or in public to speak about government initiatives,” Ruto shared.

Loosely translated as;

“The job of the deputy president is to assist the President. When I was deputy to Uhuru Kenyatta, I went to more TV stations than the President because it is the Deputy’s job to profile the country’s development. Have you ever seen Gachagua going to TV stations to talk about roads, electricity, or the UHC program even once? For two years, he never stepped into media houses or in public to speak about government initiatives.”

Unchartered waters

His interview comes shortly after he arrived in Sagana to kick off a five-day development tour across the Mt. Kenya region.

This visit is his first to the area since Gachagua’s impeachment in October 2024, an event that has impacted the region’s political landscape.

The tour unfolds amid escalating political tensions triggered by Gachagua’s ouster, which has notably shifted the political dynamics in Mt. Kenya. Once a prominent leader in the region, Gachagua has rallied support against President Ruto, resulting in a noticeable decline in the President’s popularity within the region.