Gachagua: Mombasa press conference marked end of my relationship with Ruto
By Kenneth Mwenda, August 11, 2025Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that his press conference in Mombasa on June 26, 2024, was a turning point that ended his working relationship with President William Ruto. Speaking during a US diaspora engagement on Sunday, 10 August 2025, Gachagua said the issue that irreversibly broke their alliance was the government’s handling of abductions and killings of young Kenyans.
“I was elected as deputy president alongside William Ruto, but we differed on many issues, mainly corruption, theft, and misappropriation of public funds,” Gachagua said. “However, what broke the camel’s back was the abductions and killings of Generation Zs.”
He recalled that on 25 June 2024, while still in office, he learned of orders for the killing of young people. The following day, June 26, he flew to Mombasa and held a press conference in which he openly condemned the violence and warned that such actions were unacceptable.
“That press conference brought our relationship to an end. After that day, we were not able to speak again,” Gachagua stated.
Gachagua blames intelligence failures
The June 2024 press conference came amid nationwide protests triggered by a controversial Finance Bill, which had proposed increased taxes. During the event, Gachagua publicly blamed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director-General Noordin Haji for intelligence failures that led to the unrest and loss of lives.
Gachagua accused Haji of failing to advise the president properly, saying, “He must take responsibility for failing the Kenyan nation and do the honourable thing by resigning.”
His statements drew mixed reactions, with some political figures describing the remarks as a serious security breach and others viewing them as honest criticism.
The rift between Gachagua and Ruto has deepened since then, with the former Deputy President often openly criticising the government’s handling of corruption and security issues.
Gachagua’s US comments reaffirm his stance that government abuses against the youth, including abductions, torture, and killings, remain a critical issue that neither he nor many Kenyans will ignore.