NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 20 – Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that he was removed from a WhatsApp group containing President William Ruto’s official schedule, further highlighting the deepening tensions between the two leaders.
Speaking during an exclusive interview on Citizen TV Friday night, Gachagua said the removal has left him in the dark about key presidential functions.
“I no longer know the president’s schedule. My team and I were removed from that WhatsApp group by the president’s Private Secretary, Mr. Maiyo. It’s very petty,” Gachagua disclosed.
The deputy president suggested that this exclusion is part of a broader plot to isolate him from government operations. “Everyone knows that there was a meeting in Nyahururu and another one at a Cabinet Secretary’s house in Kitisuru, Nairobi, where the plot to remove me was hatched. It’s not a secret,” he claimed.
Gachagua further explained that his absence from recent key presidential events was a result of this exclusion. “If I’m not part of the group, how am I supposed to know where the president will be?” he questioned.
He explained that was the reason he was not at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to receive his boss this week when he flew back from Germany.
“I was not aware of the time the president was arriving,” he said, explaining, “even today, I don’t know what time he is leaving for New York and he has not spoken to me since morning.”
The deputy president expressed frustration, saying that President Ruto had once assured him he would not face the same kind of intimidation that Ruto endured during his tenure as deputy president under Uhuru Kenyatta. “The president promised that he wouldn’t allow people to intimidate me, as he was intimidated when he was deputy. But what I am experiencing now is far worse,” Gachagua lamented.
Despite the apparent fallout, Gachagua warned that any impeachment motion against him would require the president’s approval. “No motion to impeach a deputy president can be tabled in Parliament without the president’s knowledge, so if it’s tabled, then it must have his approval,” he stated.
He also voiced concerns that such political maneuvers could destabilize the country. “I am asking the president to stop this, as it could have far-reaching consequences for national stability.”
In the interview, Gachagua also refuted claims of bullying MPs and elected leaders, which have surfaced in recent weeks. He blamed the allegations on his straightforward nature, stating, “I don’t bully anyone. I’m just truthful. I ask MPs to listen to the people, and they call that bullying.”
The removal from the WhatsApp group seems to symbolize the broader rift between Gachagua and several key leaders, including Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, both of whom have publicly criticized the deputy president. Sakaja recently described Gachagua as a “bully,” while Ichung’wah accused him of using intimidation tactics to influence Mount Kenya MPs.
Nevertheless, Gachagua insisted that his support among the electorate, particularly in Nyeri, remains strong. “It doesn’t matter what they say—what matters is that the people of Nyeri are with me. Forty-four MCAs and the Governor of Nyeri support me,” he asserted.
