Ruto likens Gachagua to biblical Herod over attacks on Ndindi Nyoro, young leaders

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 – President William Ruto has stepped up his political confrontation with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of intimidating emerging leaders and attempting to frustrate their political ambitions ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Ruto singled out Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah and Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot among politicians he claimed had become targets of Gachagua’s criticism.

Speaking during a development tour of Kisii County on Tuesday, November 10, the President warned the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader against picking fights with younger politicians, saying they should be allowed to develop their leadership credentials without intimidation.

He invoked the biblical story of King Herod, who ordered the killing of male children in Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate the infant Jesus, to portray what he described as Gachagua’s hostility towards rising political figures.

“I want to tell that man to leave the young people alone, these emerging young leaders. Don’t we have young leaders who are growing? People like Osoro, Zaheer Jhanda and Donya. Leave Kenya’s young leaders alone,” Ruto said.

Turning directly to his former deputy, the President added: “You, Mr Herod, whenever you see young leaders growing, you go after them and attack them.”

Ruto questioned why Gachagua was allegedly picking confrontations with a growing list of politicians, including Nyoro, Senator John Methu, Ichung’wah, Cheruiyot, Osoro and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Treasurer Japheth Nyakundi.

“I hear you are attacking Methu, Ndindi, Ichung’wah, Aaron Cheruiyot, Osoro and Nyakundi. What have these leaders done to you?” he posed.

The President assured the politicians that he would not allow them to be intimidated as they pursued their political ambitions, promising to stand with the younger generation of leaders.

“I want to assure all young leaders in Kenya that they should not be worried,” he said.

Nyoro at centre of escalating political rivalry

Nyoro has increasingly found himself at the centre of a political contest involving Gachagua and Ruto’s allies, particularly over who should shape the political direction of the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.

The Kiharu legislator, who now leads the People’s Party of Kenya (PPK), has repeatedly clashed with Gachagua over the former Deputy President’s attempts to consolidate his influence in the region ahead of the next election.

In September, Gachagua appeared to take aim at an unnamed youthful Mt Kenya politician, accusing him of receiving Sh200 million from Ruto to undermine the region’s political unity. His remarks were widely interpreted as referring to Nyoro.

Gachagua also dismissed the politician’s political vehicle as a small wheelbarrow, in an apparent reference to Nyoro’s newly established party.

Nyoro subsequently challenged the former Deputy President to confront him directly rather than using political allies and coded statements to attack him.

The Kiharu MP has also accused Gachagua’s camp of conducting a propaganda campaign against him, alleging that the DCP leader had assembled a media team to portray him as a government project through vernacular radio stations.

In October, Nyoro again called on Gachagua to stop targeting him, arguing that the opposition should concentrate on building a united front to remove Ruto from power rather than fighting individuals within its ranks.

The political confrontation has also extended beyond Gachagua’s camp. Nyoro has faced criticism from some of Ruto’s allies following his decision to establish an independent political outfit and his public questioning of aspects of the administration’s economic and business policies.

The attacks have exposed the increasingly complicated political position of the legislator, who was once among Ruto’s most vocal defenders but has since sought to establish an independent political identity.

2032 polls

In a further swipe at Gachagua, Ruto suggested that politicians of their generation should prepare to leave the political stage in 2032 to give younger leaders an opportunity to take over.

He lumped himself and the former Deputy President together with other senior politicians, saying they would eventually make way for the next generation.

“You and I, together with Mr 40, Mr Texas and this man of hatred, belong to the same generation. I will bring all of them together and take them away. We will leave in 2032,” he said.

The remarks came against the backdrop of increasingly bitter exchanges between the President and his former deputy, whose fallout has continued to influence political alliances and realignments ahead of the 2027 polls.

Their rivalry has also spilled into the Gusii region, where Gachagua has clashed with several local leaders over his criticism of political figures, including former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

Osoro has emerged as one of Gachagua’s most vocal critics in the region, while Nyakundi and other leaders have also taken issue with the former Deputy President’s political remarks.

Ruto made the remarks while launching the upgrading to bitumen standard of the Kenyoro SDA-Riana Market and Kerina-Mwata roads in Kisii County.

The President’s tour of the region has also involved the inspection and launch of road construction, electricity connectivity, affordable housing and other infrastructure projects.