‘Keep that nonsense in WhatsApp groups!’ Gachagua responds to calls for his ouster

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has responded to unnamed individuals allegedly calling for his exit from office, saying that he is firmly within President William Ruto’s administration.

Speaking to residents of Sagana in Kirinyaga County on Saturday, the Deputy President warned the leaders spreading such rumors to refrain from making comments that seek to divide the country.

Terming the statements as “nonsense,” Gachagua noted that such talks should be confined to WhatsApp groups and not made during public gatherings.

“The people of Mt. Kenya, this is our government. We invested in his government. I’ve heard people saying that we leave the government, how can we leave our own government? I want to ask leaders not to make statements that confuse Kenyans,” Gachagua said.

“That kind of nonsense should be contained in WhatsApp groups. When you come to the rural areas, speak in a voice that unites us. Can we leave the person we voted for? We are in this government 100 per cent.”

DP Gachagua spoke as he joined his boss President Ruto who is on a three-day tour of the Mt. Kenya region which began in Embu on Wednesday, Murang’a on Friday and Kirinyaga on Saturday.

The visit comes at a time of speculations over a plot to impeach Gachagua, with critics saying that the President could be testing the waters to see how his deputy is received within the region. 

Reports indicated that late night meetings were held last month involving 21 Mt. Kenya politicians who resolved to raise an impeachment motion against the DP on the grounds of undermining the presidency.

Addressing the rumours, Gachagua talked of receiving backlash for trying to unite the Mt. Kenya region. 

"I have not seen the impeachment motion but I have heard rumors that it is being pursued because of my efforts to secure government positions for our people and address issues faced by avocado farmers," Gachagua stated during a media briefing in his residence on August 4, 2024.

The DP has also received criticism from politicians close to the President who accused him of instigating tribal-based politics instead of uniting the country. 

“If we truly believe that we hold offices that bestow on you the role of being a symbol of national unity, seek to unite the people of Kenya not the people of Mt Kenya,” National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah said during an event in Laikipia on June 9, 2024. 

In response, Gachagua has accused the leaders of twisting his statements to fit their narratives. 

“I am on record as a great peacemaker. The unity we are calling for is not against anybody, it is the unity of purpose. The unity we are calling for is the unity of Kenya and we are doing it bottom up,” the DP said in an event in Naivasha on June 9, 2024.