Bitter fallout: Mathira MP who voted Gachagua out despite DP negotiating his dowry

From his boss, President William Ruto to National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah, the camaraderie they once enjoyed is now dead with a clear indication that the Second-in-Command is on his exit door. 

On Tuesday, October 8th, 281 MPs voted to support Gachagua's impeachment motion, surpassing the threshold of 233 lawmakers.

The motion, tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, now moves to the Senate which will either vote to uphold or throw away the impeachment bid. 

Interestingly, one of the lawmakers who supported the motion was Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi, the lawmaker in Gachagua's backyard.

The two previously enjoyed a close relationship which played out in the leadup to the 2022 General Election when Gachagua appealed to the Mathira residents to vote for Wamumbi in the parliamentary race. 

Further, DP Gachagua was among the dignitaries to grace Wamumbi's dowry negotiations as he sealed his nuptials with Murang'a Woman Representative Betty Maina.

In the ceremony, Gachagua acted as Wamumbi's chief spokesperson in steering the negotiations. 

What was once a close relationship is now a bitter fallout between the duo, in what could be considered a classic tale of biting the hand that feeds you. 

The straw that broke the camel's back was in July 2024 when the DP ordered the closure of bars within Nyeri County, a directive that Wamumbi acknowledged left the town dead for months. 

Gachagua, who has been keen on ending the illicit brew menace in the Mt Kenya region, said those leaders fighting his initiative were tainting the president's legacy. 

Addressing the matter, Wamumbi revealed that something bigger led to their fallout and called on the DP to speak the truth, referring to Gachagua's narrative as a "truthful man."

"It is true. There is a rift between the Deputy president and I. The rift is not about the closed bars in Karatina town which have left the town dead for four months," Wamumbi said in Nyeri County on July 8, 2024. 

"It is about something bigger than that, he should say the truth, and nothing but the truth. I will be telling the truth, and the people of Mathira will pick which side to believe in," he added.

The fallout played out in the following months with the legislator touching on the subject in his socials from time to time. 

"My differences with the Deputy President H.E Rigathi Gachagua are not personal, it is purely political. Political differences are allowed even among siblings,  it should never turn violent due to political differences," Wamumbi posted on September 26, 2024. 

Things took a bitter turn when Betty Maina, Wamumbi's spouse, aired out her frustrations against the DP, days leading to his impeachment motion before the National Assembly. 

In a post on Facebook, Maina referred to some instances when Gachagua insulted her and her family. 

"We have been insulted, threatened and humiliated. On his way to my dowry and the night prior, he said unpalatable and venomous things that broke me completely. The things he has said about me in person, and his associates have said, I have no space for forgiveness," she said. 

Shortly after the MPs impeached Gachagua, Wamumbi advertised 17 vacancies in Mathira, urging the constituents to apply.

Speculations are now strife that the former employees who occupied those positions were Gachagua's henchmen. 

"Mathira MP Wamumbi about to send the whole CDF office home these are guys that were mainly recruited when Rigathi was MP when Riggy G made this guy MP, he told him not to fire them...now that Riggy G is heading home wanaenda na yeye." 

"Wueh.. Things move fast in this country," read some of the comments online.