I Warned You’: Kindiki Breaks Silence on Gachagua’s Fall
Kindiki Reveals Details of Secret Night Meetings With Gachagua Before Impeachment
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has disclosed details of private meetings he held with his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua, in the period before Gachagua was removed from office, claiming he repeatedly warned him about the political risks of his strained relationship with President William Ruto.
Kindiki made the revelations on Saturday, August 15, while addressing Mount Kenya East leaders at a political event also attended by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku.
The Deputy President said the meetings took place at night while he was serving as Cabinet Secretary for Interior and were intended to advise Gachagua on how to manage his relationship with President Ruto.
“I came to visit you many nights when I was the Interior Cabinet Secretary and told you to be loyal to the President so that in the future you could also be in his position,” Kindiki said.
According to Kindiki, he believed that maintaining loyalty to Ruto would have strengthened Gachagua’s political standing and potentially positioned him to succeed the President in the future.
However, Kindiki claimed Gachagua rejected his advice and questioned his understanding of the political situation.
“But you despised me and told me I don’t know what I was saying. Now you are making noise from the outside,” he said.
‘I tried to help you’
Kindiki further claimed that he had attempted to help Gachagua avoid the political crisis that eventually culminated in his impeachment and removal from the deputy presidency.
The Deputy President, however, stopped short of disclosing what he described as sensitive details of those efforts, suggesting he could reveal more if Gachagua continued challenging him publicly.
“Your overconfidence is what removed you from office, and I had told you,” Kindiki said.
“I do not want to be like you, do not push me to reveal the secret of how I tried to help you,” he added.
The remarks offer a fresh glimpse into the political tensions that surrounded the Ruto-Gachagua relationship before Parliament moved to impeach Gachagua in October 2024.
Gachagua became the first Kenyan deputy president to be removed from office through impeachment. His political fallout with Ruto had increasingly become public, with disagreements emerging over issues including government appointments, development priorities and political influence.
Kindiki was subsequently nominated by President Ruto to replace Gachagua and was approved by Parliament, becoming Kenya’s second deputy president under the current administration.
His latest remarks are likely to reignite debate over what happened behind the scenes during the final months of Gachagua’s tenure—and whether the former Interior CS had privately warned him that his increasingly confrontational approach towards the President could ultimately cost him his position.
Also Read: Gachagua Turns on Kindiki: “Don’t Call Me Your Brother”