Gachagua: It’s only in Kenya where drug barons sit in cabinet
By Luke Oluoch, August 10, 2025Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has continued his onslaught against President William Ruto’s administration, decrying the appointment of persons known to be drug barons to key cabinet positions.
Speaking during an engagement at the Holy Names University, San Francisco, California, USA, on Sunday, August 10, the DCP party leader voiced his concerns about the two persons with a well-known record of drug trafficking.
“It is so sad that Kenya is the only country in the world where we have two drug barons sitting in the cabinet today. They are all known to have been trafficking and supplying drugs to Kenyans. That is how serious things are,” he stated.
Lost a brother
While speaking at the event, the former DP revealed that his continued fight against drug abuse and alcoholism was borne out of a personal loss he suffered.
He reiterated his commitment to step up the war against the vice once he assumes power.
“I lost a brother to drinking; it is why I am passionate about drug abuse and alcoholism back at home. I worked very hard back as DP to ensure that illicit brew is not available at home,” he pledged.
Gachagua also confirmed that they will lay out elaborate plans to help rehabilitate individuals who have been affected by the drug menace.
“Once we form a government, we will have a deliberate policy to deal with drug abuse and rehabilitation for our children,” he added.
“I have no problem with anybody; what we have is bad governance. I have a moral high ground; I am a Christian, and we have values,” he stated.
Govt fights on illicit brew
His remarks come after he recently accused Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen of engaging in an empty show of government effort to curb the sale and abuse of illicit alcohol.
“CS Interior, you are wasting your time and enjoying the people of Kenya and treating them as fools,” Gachagua said. “While in office, I put practical measures in place to curb illicit alcohol and check drug abuse.”
Gachagua said that in just one year of “consistent hard work and practical interventions”, he had successfully eliminated poisonous brews and helped restore sobriety to many communities.
He claimed that young people returned home, started families, and took up productive activities, while the Kenya Revenue Authority recorded higher excise revenues as consumers shifted to genuine, tax-compliant alcohol brands.
Sabotage and hypocrisy
Gachagua further alleged that all those gains were deliberately sabotaged by President William Ruto’s administration. He singled out Murkomen’s predecessor and a principal secretary whom he claimed had worked behind the scenes to reopen the very distilleries his office had shut down.
“Your PS personally looked for manufacturers of illicit alcohol that we had shut down and authorised them to continue manufacturing and distributing poison,” he wrote.