Gachagua: There is no rift between me and Uhuru

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 1 – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed claims of a fallout between him and retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, defending his predecessor’s record and accusing President William Ruto of turning against the former Head of State after benefiting from his political support.

Gachagua said Uhuru had completed his constitutional term and handed over a stable country, accusing the current administration of damaging the country while continuing to use political allies to attack the retired President.

The former Deputy President made the remarks during a church service at Kamangu Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu County, where he launched a fresh attack on Ruto and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah over what he termed a campaign to intimidate the Kikuyu community and interfere with church affairs.

“President Uhuru Kenyatta retired after serving his term and handed over a stable country, whereas you have ruined the nation in four years and continue to insult him in Parliament,” Gachagua said.

He accused Ruto of using Ichung’wah to attack Uhuru, recalling that the legislator had allegedly spent 17 minutes criticising the former President in Parliament while Gachagua was in the United States.

The former Deputy President maintained that he would not allow political differences with the current administration to undermine the respect owed to Uhuru, who served as Kenya’s fourth President between 2013 and 2022.

Gachagua also accused Ruto of turning against leaders who helped him ascend to power, claiming he had personally experienced similar treatment after his removal from office.

“Ruto used me and discarded me, and he is only using Kimani Ichung’wah because he hates our community,” he said.

Beyond the Uhuru question, Gachagua accused the President of attempting to extend political intimidation into places of worship, claiming that a church minister at Kamangu had been threatened over his decision to host him.

He alleged that Reverend Kavwi had been subjected to pressure from the church’s presbytery, which he claimed was being used by Ichung’wah to prevent him from attending the service.

Gachagua questioned why his removal from government was allegedly being followed by attempts to deny him access to churches.

“You removed me from government, and now you want to expel me even from church? Must my PCA church face problems just because I attend?” he posed.

He claimed that Ichung’wah had previously been used to facilitate his removal from the Deputy President’s office and was now being deployed to pressure religious leaders.

“We were evicted from the government we elected you into by using Ichung’wah; we accepted it and returned to God and the citizens. God and the people have sustained us, and we are standing strong,” he said.

“Now that you see we are standing, you are using Ichung’wah to threaten pastors to banish me from church. William Ruto, what is your problem with the church?” he added.

The former Deputy President further accused Ruto of failing to respect religious institutions, invoking the 2007 Kiambaa church attack during the post-election violence, in which people who had sought refuge in a church were killed after it was set ablaze.

“We forgave you when children were killed at Kiambaa Church and when mothers and children were burned; we forgave you, elected you as President of Kenya, and thought you had changed your past ways, but you have not,” Gachagua said.

He also alleged that thugs had invaded Kariobangi PCEA Church and accused the President of using Ichung’wah to intimidate the Kamangu church leadership.

“Will stopping me from coming to Kamangu PCA change our Christianity, or is it just foolishness?” he posed.

Gachagua said he would write to the Moderator of the PCEA General Assembly seeking intervention over the alleged harassment of the parish minister, insisting that religious leaders should not be punished for hosting politicians.

The former Deputy President also turned his attention to Ichung’wah, accusing him of participating in what he described as the persecution of the Kikuyu community despite representing a constituency named after the community.

He claimed that the constituency had become a centre of political intimidation and accused the MP of allowing himself to be used by Ruto against his own people.

“It pains us that the constituency bearing the name of the Kikuyu is being used to harass the Kikuyu people,” he said.

Gachagua cited the case of Kigadhe and nine others, whom he claimed had been framed through false charges and had continued facing court proceedings since 2024 without witnesses.

He also alleged that members of the community had suffered discrimination, citing claims of dismissals from the military and police, destruction of businesses in Gikomba and targeting of Kikuyu homes.

“When William Ruto decided to remove me from office to leave the Kikuyu community leaderless, he used you, Kimani Ichung’wah, to execute that removal,” he said.

He further accused the MP of defending the President in Parliament while allegedly failing to speak out against what he described as mistreatment of the community.

“Why have you allowed yourself to be used like colonial-era collaborators to destroy the Kikuyu community?” Gachagua asked.

He also criticised Ichung’wah over remarks questioning the voting strength of the Kikuyu community, arguing that such statements undermined its political influence.

Gachagua warned that he would continue speaking out against what he termed discrimination and intimidation of the Mount Kenya region, dismissing accusations of tribalism.

“Even if you call me a tribalist, I will stand for the respect and dignity of the Mount Kenya region and will not allow anyone to intimidate the Kikuyu nation,” he said.

He also questioned why the community was being insulted by leaders in government despite having overwhelmingly supported Ruto’s presidential bid in 2022.

“When we voted for him, did we not know he was Kalenjin, so why does he insult us every day?” he posed.

He called on Ruto to stop what he termed colonial-era political tactics and allow the Church to operate without interference, warning that the community would not tolerate further intimidation.