NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has lifted the lid on tense moments that unfolded inside State House before President William Ruto unveiled his new Cabinet, following the disbandment of the previous one after the Gen Z anti–Finance Bill 2024 protests.
Speaking on Friday, November 7, during the launch of The Fight for Order, a book authored by Former AG Justin Muturi, Gachagua detailed heated exchanges with the President over the omission of key Mount Kenya East figures, including Muturi himself, from the initial Cabinet list.
“After the Gen Z protests, the Cabinet was dissolved, and the President was struggling with whether to bring in Raila and his people or not,” Gachagua said. “When the first batch came out, there was no one from Embu. I asked him why, and he told me, ‘Let’s wait kidogo.’”
According to Gachagua, Ruto later summoned him and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to flank him for the final announcement — a request he rejected, saying it was improper to accompany the President without knowing who was being named.
“I told him, ‘No, I can’t flank you to announce a Cabinet when I don’t even know who you’re naming. I can’t hear it for the first time with Kenyans and the press,” Gachagua recalled.
He added that Ruto, visibly agitated, eventually showed him the list — “throwing it at me” — only for Gachagua to notice that Muturi’s name had been replaced by an individual allegedly fronted by Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire.
“I told him, ‘Who is this? You hadn’t consulted me. We had agreed.’ He said, ‘That’s someone Cecily brought.’ I told him, ‘No, I cannot be party to that decision. The people of Embu will not understand,’” Gachagua recounted.
The standoff escalated until, according to Gachagua, the President threw a pen at him and instructed him to “toa huyo mtu, weka huyo JB yako hapo!” (remove that person and put your JB there).
“I told him, ‘Mr. President, this person is a solid minister. I sit with him in the Cabinet. He means well for the country,” Gachagua said, adding that Ruto eventually let him make the correction.
That, Gachagua revealed, is how Justin Muturi’s name was reinstated in the final Cabinet list.
The former Deputy President’s account offers a rare glimpse into the internal power struggles and regional balancing that have defined President Ruto’s post–Gen Z Cabinet formation — a moment that continues to shape Kenya’s evolving political landscape.
