NAIROBI, Kenya- DCP Leader Rigathi Gachagua has launched a fierce counterattack on President William Ruto after the Head of State accused him of extorting political aspirants and businesspeople.
In a statement posted after President Ruto’s Nyamira rally, Gachagua branded his former boss “Mr 6 Months” and accused him of recycling campaign promises during his tour of Kisii and Nyamira counties.
Gachagua did not directly address the specific monetary allegations made against him. Instead, he accused President Ruto of having little development to show the Gusii region after four years in office.
“All you have are more lies and handouts. RiggyG is not a road in Kisii or Nyamira. Rigathi is not a water project. Gachagua is not an airport. The truthful man is not a rural electrification project,” the former Deputy President said.
He claimed the government had failed to deliver roads, water, electricity, an airport and other projects, while also accusing the President of repeatedly launching the same cancer hospital project.
Ruto’s extortion allegations
President Ruto had earlier called Gachagua a “chief extortionist” during an address at Nyangori in Kitutu Masaba Constituency, Nyamira County.
The President alleged that DCP aspirants and businesspeople were being forced to pay money to access political opportunities, including an alleged Sh50,000 charge to address party rallies.
The sensational allegations were made at the rally, but no supporting evidence was publicly presented.
President Ruto also linked the allegations to Gachagua’s removal from office as Deputy President in 2024 and dismissed his former deputy’s claims that he played a decisive role in his 2022 election victory.
Gachagua, however, portrayed the President’s Gusii tour as a political exercise designed to win over voters through promises and the mention of local villages and roads.
“I am preparing the full dose to administer intravenously on 10th August 2027. You will not believe the lethargy. It will be cruel, fast and furious,” he said.
‘Double Olkalou template’
The DCP Leader said his camp would deploy what he described as a “double Olkalou template” in all 290 constituencies during the August 10, 2027 General Election.
Gachagua said the strategy would make it difficult for the government to rig elections, intimidate public servants or misuse state agencies, without presenting evidence to support those concerns.
He described the DCP’s Olkalou parliamentary by-election victory as a dress rehearsal for the wider contest against President Ruto in 2027.
The former Deputy President has repeatedly cited the Olkalou result as evidence that the ruling party can be defeated through grassroots mobilisation, particularly in the Mt Kenya region.
His latest remarks signal that he intends to turn the by-election result into a national campaign message as DCP positions itself within the opposition ahead of the next General Election.
“We shall apply a double Olkalou template in all 290 constituencies across the country. You will have no escape route to rig the elections, intimidate any public servant, or misuse our police service or any state agency,” the DCP boss said.
“For your information, they are also waiting for you. Every time they look at their payslips or try to access medical care, they vow to retaliate at the ballot on 10th August 2027. You shall vacate State House in shame and humiliation.”
Development record becomes new battleground
The exchange has sharpened the political contest for Gusii, where President Ruto has used his ongoing tour to outline government investments in electricity connectivity, roads, tea-factory modernisation and health infrastructure.
During his Nyamira engagements, President Ruto said his administration had allocated KSh160 million to connect 2,000 homes to electricity in Kitutu Masaba and committed Sh1.2 billion towards the revival and modernisation of tea factories.
Gachagua disputes the President’s development claims, insisting that residents should demand completed projects rather than fresh pledges and relaunches.
The increasingly personal exchange underlines the collapsed political alliance between President Ruto and Gachagua, who were elected together in 2022 before their fallout and Gachagua’s impeachment two years later.
With both leaders now openly trading accusations over money, development and political influence, the battle for support in Kisii, Nyamira and across the country is likely to intensify as 2027 approaches.
