Dorcas Rigathi laments Ruto’s failure to honour pact with 1,000 pastors
By Steve Ireri, May 18, 2025Dorcas Rigathi, spouse of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has publicly expressed her dismay over what she describes as a broken promise by President William Ruto, recalling a solemn agreement made during his tenure as deputy president.
Speaking when she accompanied her husband, Rigathi Gachagua, for a church service at Christ’s Joy Christian Church in Gatanga, Murang’a County, on Sunday, May 18, 2025, Dorcas recounted leading a delegation of over 1,000 pastors and bishops in signing a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ruto — an agreement, she insisted, that has since been entirely disregarded.
“We visited his home — more than 1,000 pastors and bishops — and I was the one leading them. We engaged him not in passing, but with clarity of purpose and spiritual conviction. We had a church agenda, which he acknowledged in full. A formal MoU was signed. This was not a vague verbal commitment; it was a documented pact. Yet to this day, not a single aspect of it has been fulfilled. Nothing,” she said.
Despite the palpable disappointment, Dorcas tempered her criticism with an appeal to divine justice and providence.
She expressed unwavering faith that what has been forsaken by man would ultimately be accounted for by God.
“At every turning point in history, at every moment of reckoning, God reveals Himself. Even now, in our national discourse and collective trials, I am convinced that the Lord is preparing to manifest His power and glory in Kenya. The mission of the church shall not be extinguished simply because promises were abandoned,” Dorcas added.
MoU’s agenda
The church’s engagement with political leadership, she explained, was based not on individual gain but on a vision for rebuilding a moral and ethical foundation in Kenya’s institutions, especially in education.
She cited historical examples of schools such as Alliance High School and Precious Blood, institutions founded by the church with a mission to instil strong values in future generations.
According to Dorcas, part of the agreement with Ruto included the restoration of land to these schools to allow the church to retain oversight and ensure their original values were preserved.
“We did not merely seek symbolic inclusion. We petitioned for tangible support — that the land on which these schools stand be entrusted once more to the church. These institutions were established not merely to instruct but to mould ethical citizens grounded in Christian values. But now, ownership has shifted to the Ministry of Education. The land is no longer ours, and with it, we risk losing the very ethos upon which these schools were built.”
Upbringing
During the service, Dorcas went on to offer a poignant reflection on her upbringing in Murang’a, using her personal history as a lens through which to underscore broader socio-economic struggles.
She spoke at length about the central role coffee farming played in her early life and the region’s development, drawing a contrast between its past vitality and present decline.
“I was born here, in this land. My paternal lineage is rooted in these hills. We owned land in Gitiri and cultivated coffee with diligence. We carried the sacks on our backs — it was arduous, yes, but it was honourable. At that time, if one owned 1,000 trees, it signified something — stability, even dignity. Today, even with the same number, there is no recognition, no respect,” Dorcas said.
She further reflected on her early career, recalling her work in the coffee sector and later her 16-year tenure at Cooperative Bank, where she supported farmers through financial services. In her view, coffee was not simply a crop but a lifeline that fuelled education and social mobility for countless families.
“Coffee paid our school fees. It enabled so many of us to rise — to learn, to lead. That is why, when the deputy president was in office, I urged him repeatedly to stay the course in coffee reforms. This wasn’t about nostalgia. It was about justice and economic dignity.”
Ending her address on a note of encouragement and faith, she turned to her husband and urged him not to be discouraged following the turbulence that had come after he was impeached.
She told him to have hope because God was going to give him another chance to lead, hinting that Gachagua was going to win the presidency come the 2027 polls.
“Gachagua, do not be discouraged; there is a God of second chances. What has remained, we will come to finish.”