NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack on his successor, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, accusing him of flaunting wealth and running a covert political campaign even as the country faces dire economic challenges.
In a statement released Friday morning, Gachagua criticised the government for neglecting essential services—especially education and healthcare—while pumping money into what he described as “bribery disguised as empowerment.”
“There is no money for capitation in our schools. Hospitals are hollow shells. Government workers have their payslips slashed and salaries delayed,” Gachagua wrote. “Yet, women groups and boda boda riders are being bribed through security agencies to cheerlead 2027 campaigns.”
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
The rebuke comes hours after Kindiki hosted a breakfast meeting in Karen with popular Mt Kenya musicians, including Ben Githae and Samidoh, as part of what he said was government engagement with the creative industry.
The Deputy President has also donated over KSh 100 million in cash and equipment during a two-month tour of Mt Kenya counties and parts of Kisii, under what his team calls “empowerment tours.”
But Gachagua, who was pushed to the political periphery after the 2022 elections, painted a darker motive behind the donations.
He accused Kindiki of reviving a toxic brand of cash-fueled politics reminiscent of the infamous “Yote yawezekana na pesa” era of 1992, warning that history was repeating itself at the expense of ordinary Kenyans.
“Let Kenyans eat the money,” he said, “but not surrender their souls.”
The statement comes as the country prepares for a leaner fiscal year, with the National Treasury slashing KSh 273 billion from the 2025/26 budget to manage ballooning debt.
Key sectors have been hit hard: education allocations are shrinking, HELB funding remains insufficient, and county hospitals are in financial limbo—casting doubt on the government’s pledge of Universal Health Coverage.
With Kindiki rapidly expanding his influence in Mt Kenya, the former DP’s warning appears both personal and political.
“History, just like truth, cannot be buried or wished away,” Gachagua said. “We must remind those hawking money in bags what the famous KSh 500 notes did to our economy in 1992.”
