Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has criticized President William Ruto’s leadership style, which he calls a “one-man show” and believes is detrimental to the country.
Gachagua accused his former boss of undermining Cabinet Secretaries and other leaders, stating that the president makes unilateral choices without input or criticism.
He was speaking on Sunday during an interview with Inooro TV’s Kiririmbi show.
According to Gachagua, this leadership style has rendered the Cabinet helpless, characterizing the ministers as mere
“flower girls” who just write their names but have no decision-making capacity.“The president runs the country as a one-man show. These ministers you see are just flower girls they have no say in anything.
Even changing the Cabinet is pointless unless the president himself changes or is changed,” Gachagua said.
The former DP, who previously served as the country’s second-in-command, gave details of his acrimonious feud with President Ruto, alleging the difficult relationship lasted more than a year.
He claimed that the schism resulted from his opposition to controversial government programs and his refusal to be a “yes-man.”
“Maybe he thought I would be a ‘yes sir’ kind of person, but I am principled,” Gachagua said.“I cannot be threatened or bought. I told him the country was not heading in the right direction, and we needed to correct our course, but he ridiculed me and became angry.”
Gachagua further stated that President Ruto offered him a lucrative severance payout of billions of dollars in exchange for his resignation as Deputy President.
“Even in bars, people are complaining, and now musicians are singing about him. He should stop listening to his advisors because they are lying to him.”
The former DP also urged President Ruto to seek forgiveness from the Kenyan people, saying it was unacceptable to offend individuals who had entrusted him with leadership.
“There is no need to insult people when they express their views. Just listen, even if you don’t agree,” he stated.
“It’s wrong to call people stupid or claim they have mapepo (evil spirits), especially those who voted for you.”
However, he stated that he declined the offer since no amount of money would persuade him to abandon his community.
“I told him if he wants me out, let him do it publicly so that Kenyans, especially the people of the central region, can know he kicked me out,” Gachagua added.
He then accused President Ruto of engineering his expulsion by reportedly bribing MPs and Senators to support it.
“He paid MPs and Senators to kick me out. This plan had been in place since last year because our differences had lasted for more than a year,” he claimed.
Gachagua, citing disagreements with President Ruto, identified one of the problematic areas as the Hustler Fund’s implementation.
He attacked the fund for making tiny loans of Ksh.500, which he claimed did little to help the common mwananchi.
“I would go to Karatina, and people would ask me, ‘What business can you start with Ksh.500?’ I told him, ‘My boss, this Hustler Fund is angering the very people we promised to help.’ We have abandoned them,” he said.
The former deputy president also stated that he warned the president about the popular opposition to the Finance Bill 2024, which suggested high taxes.
Gachagua asked the president to listen to Kenyans and evaluate his leadership style, rather than dismissing criticism with insulting statements.
“He should pause and ask himself why there is so much noise everywhere,” Gachagua said.
