NAIROBI, Kenya—Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has called out President William Ruto, accusing him of being at the forefront of insulting Kenyans.
Recently, President Ruto addressed the issue of youth using the internet to express insults, urging them to focus on making money and improving their lives instead.
However, Gachagua took issue with his former boss accusing him of allowing leaders around him to insult Kenyans in his presence.
“Mr. President, while you criticise us for not raising our children properly, remove the log before you take the speck out of our eye. The leaders around you use abusive language and are teaching it to our children,” said Gachagua.
Rigathi Gachagua to President Ruto: Unadai watoto wetu wana tabia mbaya lakini hii matusi ni wewe ulianza kwa kusema tuko na mapepo
Gachagua reacted to Dadaab MP Farah Maalim‘s controversial remarks on Friday, January 10, 2025, when he accompanied President Ruto on his North Rift region working tour.
Why Kenyans are furious about Farah Maalim’s remarks
In one of the president’s stopovers, Maalim was accorded a chance to address the gathering, to which he spoke unprintable while defending the president against critics.
The MP declared that Ruto would not leave the presidency soon, as his administration’s naysayers demanded.
“Mr. President, this MP you brought from Garissa (Farah Maalim) has insulted our mothers. These insults have made some of us shed tears. There is something you cannot say about our women. When I watched that video clip, I saw our president laughing while Maalim made those remarks,” said Gachagua.
Rigathi Gachagua to President Ruto: While you criticize us for not raising our children properly, before you take the speck out of our eye, remove the log on your own. The leaders around you use abusive language and are teaching it to our children
The former second in command also accused the president of failing to tame some of his close allies from his Rift Valley backyard.
“Your fellow leaders from Rift Valley are out here insulting everyone. So, as much as you’re telling us that we have not brought up our children well, tame your friends and those who hang around you because they are the ones teaching our children abusive language,” he added.
How President Ruto’s words are coming back to haunt him
Gachagua, who spoke during a Sunday mass at the AIPCA Dandora Church in Nairobi County, criticised his former boss, President Ruto, for doublespeak.
“It is you, Mr. President, who brought this issue of insults to Kenya. So, don’t blame anyone. It is what you started. You told us that Uhuru Kenyatta was a drunkard, and you told us that Raila Odinga was a witch. Now, you have provoked these young people to insult people,” he said.
Rigathi Gachagua to President Ruto: Hii matusi yote ni wewe ulileta kwa hivyo usilalamike. Ulituambia Uhuru Kenyatta ni mlevi na Raila Odinga ni mchawi. Hii maneno ya picha kwa jeneza, kwani unaogopa kifo namna gani?
In his own words, the ex-DP questioned the head of state why he was afraid of people being out in coffins.
“And this issue of being put in coffins, why do you fear death? You will die one day. You’re making much noise because your image has been put in a coffin. Have you died? What is the problem? You are bringing so much trouble; you will die one day because death is a natural thing; it will come; it is part of life. So, let us not abduct and kill our children because of caricatures. It is important that we respect each other,” explained Gachagua.
President Ruto has emphasised that the internet should be a positive space and a tool for personal development rather than a platform for negative behaviour.
Additionally, a recent court case indicates that some youths who have insulted President Ruto online have faced legal consequences.
