NAIROBI, Kenya — In a no-holds-barred interview that peeled back layers of the country’s most dramatic political breakup, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says he didn’t just support President William Ruto’s 2022 campaign—he bankrolled it.
Speaking on KTN News, Gachagua said he faced financial persecution from the previous administration because of his allegiance to Ruto, insisting he personally invested significant resources to help the now-president rise to power.
“I was in trouble with the previous administration because I was funding Ruto’s campaign,” he said. “They froze my accounts, blocked my businesses, and tried to stop me.”
The remarks come in the wake of his historic impeachment by the Senate in October 2024, marking the first time a deputy president has been removed from office in Kenya’s history.
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
Backing Ruto Came at a Cost, Gachagua Says
The former DP painted himself as a loyal foot soldier whose support for Ruto came at a personal and professional cost.
Gachagua claimed that during the campaign period, he went all in—financially and politically—even as state machinery under then-President Uhuru Kenyatta targeted him.
“I’m not the type to go around asking for money,” he added. “I gave everything I had to that campaign. That’s the reason they tried to destroy me.”
While the exact extent of his financial involvement wasn’t detailed, his narrative adds a new layer to the evolving drama between the two former allies—once Kenya Kwanza’s power duo, now fierce political adversaries.
Mounting Tensions, Conflicting Stories
Tensions between Gachagua and Ruto have only escalated since the impeachment. The former DP has accused President Ruto and his close allies—including digital strategist Dennis Itumbi and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah—of orchestrating a campaign to smear his name, especially in Central Kenya.
One incident that particularly irked Gachagua? A public event in which Ruto reportedly gave Sh8,000 to a group of female dancers from the region—allegedly telling them the money came because “Rigathi wanted to eat it alone.”
“That’s dishonest and manipulative,” Gachagua said, claiming the narrative was designed to turn his home base against him.
Rigathi Gachagua’s claims add weight to what is shaping up to be one of Kenya’s most public political implosions.
