Gachagua Claims Ruto Is ‘Frustrating’ Kindiki and Wants Him Out as 2027 Power Struggle Intensifies
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of deliberately frustrating his successor, Kithure Kindiki, claiming the Deputy President is being subjected to the same political treatment that preceded his own removal from office.
Kenya’s political battle ahead of the 2027 General Election has taken another dramatic turn after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claimed President William Ruto is deliberately undermining his successor, Kithure Kindiki.
Gachagua alleged that Kindiki is being pushed into a position where he could eventually become frustrated enough to resign, arguing that he recognises the signs because he personally experienced similar treatment while serving as Ruto’s deputy.
Speaking during a televised interview on Sunday, July 26, Gachagua said the current Deputy President was suffering under the same political pressure he had faced before his impeachment in 2024.
“Huyu mtoto wetu wa Tharaka anaumia, najua anachopitia kwa sababu nilipitia,” Gachagua said.
He went further, alleging that Ruto was behind public criticism directed at Kindiki and was deliberately creating conditions that could force the Deputy President out.
“Ruto ndiye anatesa Kindiki, Ruto amewaambia mpaka Kindiki akasirike ajiondoe,” he claimed.
The explosive remarks came as Gachagua continued his political mobilisation in the Mount Kenya region, where he has intensified attacks on the Ruto administration following his removal from office.
Gachagua also mocked the current Deputy President’s use of the office, saying Kindiki had inherited the position he once occupied but was not making full use of it.
“Kindiki took my seat which he doesn’t even use,” he said, adding that he had no desire to reclaim the position.
The former Deputy President also turned his criticism towards ODM politicians working with Ruto, claiming some had lost the ability to challenge the President after entering the broad-based government.
“These ODM people have been silenced because they were given money by Ruto, they don’t see Kindiki as a person,” Gachagua alleged.
Gachagua: ‘We are not opposing Ruto because of Kindiki’
Gachagua insisted that his opposition to Ruto was not motivated by the President’s decision to replace him with Kindiki.
Instead, he accused the administration of poor leadership and repeated his criticism of the government’s handling of young protesters and allegations of corruption.
“Tunapinga Ruto kwa sababu ya tabia zake za kuuwa Gen Z, kwa sababu ya tabia yake ya uwizi na udanganyifu. Hapingwi kwa sababu ako na Kindiki,” he said.
He claimed Kindiki himself was increasingly vulnerable within the political arrangement, pointing to the emerging debate over who could become Ruto’s running mate in 2027.
Gachagua specifically cited comments by National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed suggesting that ODM could seek the Deputy President position if the party enters a formal electoral arrangement with Ruto.
“Wameanza kumkosea heshima vile walikuwa wananikosea,” Gachagua said.
Junet’s Oparanya remarks fuel succession speculation
The comments came against the backdrop of increasingly open negotiations over the shape of a possible Ruto–ODM alliance ahead of the 2027 election.
Junet Mohamed has previously publicly backed the idea of an ODM politician becoming Ruto’s running mate, specifically naming former Kakamega Governor and current Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya.
In June, Junet said he would be pleased if Ruto selected Oparanya as Deputy President, arguing that an ODM figure would give the party a stronger position within a future administration.
On July 26, Junet again spoke about ODM’s willingness to work with Ruto, as UDA and ODM leaders appeared together at a broad-based political gathering in Kakamega County. He also made controversial allegations that money had changed hands during the 2024 parliamentary process that removed Gachagua from office. Those claims have not been independently established in the reporting available.
The political arithmetic has placed Kindiki’s position under renewed scrutiny.
Gachagua seized on the speculation, suggesting that an arrangement in which Ruto remains President and ODM secures the Deputy President position could leave Kindiki politically exposed.
Gachagua warns Ruku: ‘Ruto uses people’
Gachagua also issued a warning to Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, urging him not to become overly dependent on Ruto.
He pointed to former allies of the President, including former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi and former Attorney General Justin Muturi, as examples of politicians who eventually fell out with the Head of State.
“Ruto is a person who uses people,” Gachagua said.
He warned Ruku that he could eventually face a similar fate.
“All those people were his people, he has turned against us. Even he will come to turn against him,” he said.
Gachagua’s remarks came as his political confrontation with the Ruto administration intensified following the defeat of Ruto’s UDA candidate in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
The DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho secured 35,440 votes against UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyaga, who received 5,450 votes — a result that has been widely interpreted as a major political setback for Ruto and a boost for Gachagua’s claim to continued influence in Mount Kenya.
Gachagua has since stepped up his mobilisation across the region, openly urging voters to reject leaders allied to Ruto in the 2027 elections.
The former Deputy President has also accused Kindiki and Ruku of attempting to divide Mount Kenya politically — a charge he repeated during his latest tour.
Meanwhile, Ruto’s allies have continued defending Kindiki’s position. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula said on Sunday that he had confidence in Kindiki’s leadership, while the political contest between Gachagua and the administration continues to widen.
With the 2027 presidential race already taking shape, the dispute over Kindiki’s future could become one of the most closely watched battles within the Kenya Kwanza camp.
For now, Gachagua’s explosive claim remains an allegation, with no evidence presented publicly to establish that President Ruto is seeking to force Kindiki’s resignation.
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