A Perfect Relationship, What Went Wrong Between the President and His Deputy?

A perfect relationship would be an understatement when describing the relationship between President William Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua. In what seemed like a perfect brotherhood relationship founded on Christian principles during campaigns, it has turned sour barely 2 years after ascending to power.

Comprehensively, on March 9, 2018, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, in the Harambee President's office, had a handshake with his long-time political rival, Raila Odinga; this proved to be the start of new political formations in the country.

This led to the rise of Kieleweke, who were allied to the President, and Tangatanga, who were allied to the Deputy President. The Tangatanga team ganged in a bid to gain popularity in a plan to take power in 2022 against the then-president endorsement.

The then deputy President led a battalion of various leaders to sell their hustler manifesto. The leaders claimed the government harassed them through various court cases, which led to more vigour in campaigns.

On May 22, 2022, in Karen, in a more heated process, William Ruto was looking for a running mate for the 2022 elections. A heated contest between Rigathi Gachagua and the then Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki was evident with abrupt breaks during the deliberation. The majority of the (United Democratic Alliance (UDA) leaders voted in favour of Gachagua as the running mate.

This marked the beginning of a new campaign trial, which took place in churches, villages, car rooftops, and markets. This seemed to be joined by a virtual brotherhood. On June 8, 2021, during his acceptance speech, Gachagua referred to William Ruto as his mentor. “In this journey, one needs a mentor like the one you have been to us,” said Rigathi.

Additionally, on April 15, 2022, during a press briefing, William Ruto went on record saying he would never allow his deputy to go through what he went through as a deputy. “I will never allow my deputy president to be humiliated by junior staff. I have said in writing there are some responsibilities that my deputy president will carry,” Ruto said.

In what seems like a more intense repetition, barely two years after ascending to power, the two do not see eye to eye. The DP has been impeached by both the Senate and the National Assembly in what seemed to be a scheme orchestrated by the president.

A press briefing by the embattled DP after being discharged from the Karen hospital indicated a drastically broken relationship between him and his boss. The DP pledged with the president not to harm his family. “If anything happens to me or my family, President William Ruto must be held to account,” he said.

He also discloses the withdrawal of his security: ”The withdrawal of security from my rural home and also my private home here at Karen and also disarming of all officers close to me and given warning they should not be anywhere near me."

Additionally, the DP disclosed the government's plans to block him from attending Mashujaa Day on October 20, 2024, in Kwale County. “There were orders that I should not pass through Wilson airport, and also, all helicopter owners should not allow me to use their helicopters," he said.

In a move that shows greater division between the two, the president appointed Kithure Kindiki as the Deputy President, which the court has already ordered against until the completion of the ongoing case at the high court.

He also claims there has been an attempt on his life twice through food poisoning by state agents: “Undercover security agents entered my room and bugged it, and one of them tried to poison my food. In Nyeri, another team from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) tried to poison food that was meant for me and the Kikuyu Council of Elders."

The impeachment case proceeds in the High Court, as the president has requested that it be transferred to the Supreme Court.