NAIROBI, Kenya — Forget what the title says on the door. According to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the real power behind President William Ruto’s administration isn’t at State House—it’s in the hands of a man without an official portfolio: Farouk Kibet.
In an explosive interview with KTN on April 7, Gachagua didn’t hold back, accusing Farouk—Ruto’s long-serving personal assistant—of pulling the strings in government and acting as a shadow co-president.
“Farouk Kibet is not a small man; he is a co-president in this country,” Gachagua said bluntly.
His remarks come just days after President Ruto accused him of being combative with junior government officials, including Farouk and blogger Dennis Itumbi.
Former DP Rigathi Gachagua: It is very sad that I have to spend time responding to these ridiculous accusations by the President. The President went to the mountain for a political tour, not a development tour as you called it — because he didn’t do anything new. If you review
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According to Gachagua, Farouk isn’t just a messenger. He’s the message.
The impeached former DP alleges that Ruto governs through his PA, directing Cabinet Secretaries, the Inspector General of Police, and even the Head of Public Service via Farouk.
“Everybody reports to him. Ministers tremble at his very sight,” Gachagua claimed, painting a portrait of a man who functions more like a chief of staff than a PA.
The comments have ignited fresh speculation about the real hierarchy within Kenya’s government, where Gachagua says his own authority was routinely undermined by Farouk’s unchecked influence.
Former DP Rigathi Gachagua: Everybody knows the worst-kept secret in this country: the President orchestrated the impeachment and bribed the MPs — KSh 350,000 each — and senators with KSh 10 million. He even bribed the mover of the motion, the Kibwezi West MP. When the President
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Gachagua revealed that Farouk allegedly tried to manage operations at the Deputy President’s office—including scheduling his meetings.
Initially compliant, Gachagua says he pushed back after discovering what he called “corruption schemes” being orchestrated under the radar.
“There is no way I would have allowed Farouk Kibet to give instructions to me,” he said. “I told the president: I’m elected. I won’t take orders from your personal assistant, and I won’t push corruption in my office.”
The standoff deepened when Gachagua claims Farouk dismissed his concerns outright. And according to the former DP, this clash over control and integrity was a major catalyst for his eventual impeachment.
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While Ruto has dismissed Gachagua’s claims as pettiness and refused to address the corruption angle directly, the accusations have rekindled long-running speculation about Farouk’s unofficial—but central—role in the presidency.
The president, during a recent tour of Mt Kenya, minimized the drama by blaming Gachagua’s downfall on his “habit of complaining” and picking fights with “junior people” like Farouk and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro. But Gachagua sees it differently.
“Farouk isn’t junior to anyone. Even I needed his approval to meet the president,” he remarked, echoing statements made by Nyoro himself.
Farouk, whose friendship with Ruto dates back to the 1997 Eldoret North parliamentary race, has long operated in the background.
But if Gachagua’s revelations are to be believed, he’s not just part of the background—he may be writing the script.
Gachagua’s comments have stirred the pot, but also peeled back the curtain on the inner workings of a presidency that often seems tightly guarded.
While the public sees William Ruto at the helm, Gachagua insists the real engine is Farouk Kibet—a man without an official title, but allegedly with near-absolute influence.
