Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack against President William Ruto’s government, accusing it of starving essential public services while secretly fuelling a widespread political bribery scheme aimed at manipulating the 2027 General Election.

In his detailed remarks, he claimed that Kenyans are witnessing the slow suffocation of institutions that were once the backbone of the nation, now sacrificed at the altar of regime survival.

In a post published on Facebook on Friday, May 23, 2025, Gachagua claimed that there is currently no capitation funding for schools, and principals across the country are being tossed around in confusion, caught between welcoming auctioneers into school premises to collect debts or sending learners home to demand levies.

“There is no money for capitation in our schools, and our principals are being treated to a game of musical chairs by the government. Listening to them, the situation is dire; they are torn between letting auctioneers into schools over unpaid bills or sending students and pupils home for levies,” he posted.

He further described public hospitals as hollow and ghostlike, stripped of both function and dignity, abandoned by a government that continues to make grand promises while turning a blind eye to the suffering of its people.

According to Gachagua, medical staff are overwhelmed, critical supplies are non-existent, and what remains of the healthcare system has become a shadow of its intended self — a quiet casualty of political indifference.

“Our hospitals are a shell of what has been left after failed healthcare systems and fake promises from the government,” he added.

The former Deputy President also turned attention to the plight of civil servants, saying that their payslips have not only been slashed, but their salaries are now habitually delayed, and they are expected to carry out national duties without any form of facilitation.

He remarked that these workers, who form the engine of government, are now reduced to survival mode, demoralised and abandoned in the very institutions they are expected to uphold.

“Besides their pay slips being slashed, government workers are crying under zero facilitations and delayed salaries.”

In addition, he claimed that thousands of contractors and suppliers, many of whom have loyally delivered services to the state, are now being dragged to auction for unpaid bills that the government has failed to settle.

Gachagua described this as a deliberate financial strangulation, where those outside the political favour of the regime are discarded, their livelihoods destroyed without warning or compensation.

According to him, the little funds available are being used to bribe women, boda boda operators, and informal groups in order to build momentum for the 2027 campaign, while also funding goons hired to disrupt public meetings convened by those advocating for change and accountability.

“Contractors and suppliers are being auctioned for non-payment of pending bills! The little money available from payment of taxes has been diverted through the security agencies to bribe women and Boda boda operators and finance the 2027 campaign and pay goons to disrupt meetings of those advocating for regime change.”

Creative industry

Gachagua did not spare the creative industry either, claiming that musicians and artistes are being co-opted through silent handouts to lend their voices to a failing administration.

He said that while these artistes entertain crowds and offer the illusion of progress, the reality behind the scenes remains one of suffering, silence, and systems falling apart at the seams.

He urged Kenyans to remain alert, to take the money if they must, but to never surrender their conscience, insisting that while coins can buy noise, they cannot purchase dignity or truth.

“Our musicians and creative artists, too, are being bribed to go out and sell that which cannot be bought. Sad as it is, Kenyans are encouraged to ‘eat’ the money but not surrender their souls.”

Using a metaphor rooted in cultural wisdom, Gachagua said that where he comes from, it is agreed that one must never bury the elephant with its tusks — a call to the people to extract value, truth, and justice from a failing state before all is lost.

He warned that those using money to control the national narrative are leading the country down a dangerous path.

“Where I come from, it is agreed that ‘we shall never bury the elephant with its tusks. Please continue plucking the tusks before we bury the elephant,” he added.

Before concluding, he reminded Kenyans of what he termed a painful chapter in the nation’s past, warning that similar signs are re-emerging, and that silence or complacency could once again cost the country dearly.

“We must remind those hawking money in bags what the famous Kshs. 500 notes did to our economy and our nation in 1992. Kenyans are still paying the price over three decades later. Be vigilant, dear Kenyans,” he wrote.