Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, now the leader of the newly formed Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), has accused President William Ruto of manipulation and betrayal—alleging that Ruto once visited his home “crying real tears” to seek his political backing.
Speaking in a candid interview with comedian and media personality Obinna on Friday, Gachagua offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at their alliance ahead of the 2022 elections.
He claimed his support for Ruto was not based on any formal agreement, but rather on emotional appeals and verbal promises—trust that he now believes was misplaced.
“I had no single document on the agreement,” Gachagua said. “The guy would come here and cry real tears. ‘My brother, please help me, I am a Christian, I am a good man.’ And out of sympathy, I said okay.”
The former DP painted Ruto as a master political operator who leveraged emotion to gain trust—and later discarded those who helped him rise.
Their partnership had been key in crafting the Mt Kenya–Rift Valley alliance that brought the Kenya Kwanza coalition to power in 2022.
Gachagua, who once served as personal assistant to former President Uhuru Kenyatta, said Ruto sought him out specifically to weaken Uhuru’s grip on the Mt Kenya region.
“He knew if I left him, he was done,” he said. “He feared my return to Uhuru would collapse his presidential ambitions.”
He added that despite pressure to reconcile with Uhuru, he stuck with Ruto—even accusing Kenyatta of sidelining Ruto and his allies during Jubilee’s fractious final term.
“If there is a deceptive guy, then it’s him,” Gachagua charged. “He made me abandon my brother and kingsman Uhuru Kenyatta, a man I had worked with for many years, then he conned me through deception.”
