In a scenario almost akin to the Biblical betrayal of Jesus Christ by one of his disciples Judas Iscariot, embattled former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is now learning how Kenyan politics is full of deceit and betrayal after being ditched by some of his closest allies at the hour of need.

True to the script by British politician Henry John Temple, Gachagua is now realising, albeit too late, that in politics, “we have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies.”

Save for a few allies like Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga and MPs James Gakuya (Embakasi North), Benjamin Gathiru Mwangi (Embakasi Central), Karungo Thangwa (Kiambu) and Gathoni Wamuchomba who defied all odds to stand with him, Gachagua found himself a lonely man after majority of his former allies in Mt Kenya region, including those that he had personally groomed, went for his neck.

Gachagua has openly blamed his former boss and buddy turned political foe, President William Ruto for the political turmoil he has undergone that has seen him suffer an impeachment by both Houses.

“I didn’t know President Ruto could be that vicious. I am so shocked by how vicious a man I helped to be president, that I believed in, I was persecuted for supporting him, could be so vicious against me when I am literally fighting for my life in hospital,” Gachagua observed upon being discharged from Karen hospital on Sunday.

Perhaps, Gachagua, whose fate now solely lies in the hands of the judiciary after both the National Assembly and Senate voted to impeach him, should learn a lesson that his loose grip on his backyard appears to have been his political Achilles heel.

In the National Assembly, at least 40 MPs from Mt Kenya joined their colleagues from other regions to send him home while only 19 stood with him. The situation was worse in the Senate where only one Senator, Karungo Thangwa, out of 10 from the Mt Kenya, voted to save him.

Least resources

“Politics is always about power and whoever wields power, will always have the most friends. In the case of Gachagua, he was the least powerful and with the least resources competing against the most powerful person in the name of President William Ruto and the most powerful coalition of UDA and ODM,” political analyst Mark Bichachi sums up the turn of political events.

Signs of Gachagua being abandoned by close friends first emerged when Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wa took it upon himself to lead the crusade against the former President’s official assistant in Mt Kenya region.

By as late as February, Gachagua and Ichungwa had been the best of buddies with the former at one time personally traveling to Kiambu to calm waters when a group of MCAs had ganged up against the Leader of Majority.

On February 16, during President Ruto’s tour of Gatundu South in Kiambu, Gachagua, who then enjoyed a cosy relationship with his then boss, viciously defended Ichung’wa, who was grappling with a hostile ground in his home county over his alleged political conduct.

“When the President assigns a position to Kiambu, we must protect it. The President, in his wisdom, appointed Kimani Ichungwa as the Leader of Majority for the National Assembly. I want to assure you that both the President and I have confidence in him, his star is bright. I urge Kiambu leaders not to be among those who pull others down. I appeal to our MCAs: this position of Leader of Majority is for Kiambu county. Do not be at the forefront of dragging him down; Kimani Ichungwa deserves our support,” the DP had then stated.

Central Kenya tour

President Ruto was on his final leg of a three-day tour of Mt. Kenya, which had started in Lari, where he launched the construction of a Sh 6 billion road, then flew to Muranga, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and concluded in Gatundu South, where he commissioned an irrigation project in Ndarugu.

What the former Mathira MP was oblivious to was that the man he was defending would eventually preside over his political prosecution, which culminated in an embarrassing sacking by both the National Assembly and the Senate through an impeachment motion that was widely politicized by the Kikuyu MP.

At the time, Kiambu MCAs, led by Leader of Majority Godfrey Mucheke and Chief Whip Nelson Munga had launched a crusade against Ichung’wa over what they said was an unwarranted political onslaught against Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi.

In Gachagua’s own constituency, Mathira, his successor Eric Wamumbi voted to impeach him in the National Assembly.

The two previously enjoyed a close relationship, which played out in the lead up to the 2022 general election when Gachagua appealed to Mathira residents to vote for Wamumbi in the parliamentary race.

Further, Gachagua was among the dignitaries to grace Wamumbi’s dowry negotiations as he sealed his nuptials with Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina.

In the ceremony, Gachagua acted as Wamumbi’s chief spokesperson in steering the negotiations. It is even said that Gachagua played a major role in the nomination of Wamumbi to vie for the seat on UDA ticket.

“The DP never knew that he was breeding snakes that would eventually give him a fatal bite, and when rushed to hospital, the doctors, instead of helping him fight for his political survival, sent him to the dungeons, where rogue surgeons strangled him to death, says Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi.

Brinkmanship

Mwangangi says politics in Kenya has always been full of deceit, betrayal, bribery and brinkmanship. According to Mwangangi, the political class is engaged in an elaborate scheme to divert the attention of Kenyans from the issues affecting them.

Mwangangi says politicians and those in leadership are ignoring real issues such as corruption in government, delayed release of funds to county governments and scandals bedevilling the government.

The deputy governor says the ongoing standoff on the impeachment of Gachagua has been orchestrated to blindfold Kenyans from their problems.

“These impeachment of Gachagua is meant to divert the attention of Kenyans from the real issues….such as the crisis in health and education sectors, the entry of Adani group of companies, corruption in government, poor economy facing the country at the moment,’’ Mwangangi says.

Other Mt Kenya MPs said to have turned against the DP at the hour of need included John Waithaka Kawanjiku, whom Gachagua is said to have vigorously campaigned for in the Kiambaa by-election, his own Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga and Thika’s Alice Ng’ang’a who had previously been one of the DP’s diehard supporters, among others.

Nandi senator Samson Cherarkey, another staunch supporter of the DP, stuck out his neck for him during the senate debate, dismissing the grounds advanced for Gachagua’s removal from office.

Only for the vocal senator to vote “yes” when the division was called that fateful Thursday night, to the dismay of Gachagua and his few supporters.