Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has taken a swipe at President William Ruto, asserting that no amount of state appointments will shift the political dynamics in the Mount Kenya region.
Speaking during a TikTok Live session, Gachagua maintained that the region has moved on, urging the President to accept this reality sooner rather than later.
In recent weeks, President Ruto has made high-profile appointments in the region, including naming Mutahi Kagwe as Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, William Kabogo for ICT, and Lee Kinyanjui for Trade.
Many political analysts view these appointments as part of a calculated effort to regain the support of the restless Mount Kenya region.
However, Gachagua dismissed these actions as insignificant, stating, “Even if he makes the Mumbi his Prime Cabinet Secretary and appoints her nine daughters as Cabinet Secretaries, nothing will change. The mountain is gone and gone forever.”
Gachagua also criticized the President’s ongoing development tour of Western Kenya, accusing him of shifting focus from national priorities to regional optics.
President Ruto has spent several days launching and inspecting various projects in the region, including issuing bonuses to sugarcane farmers at Mumias Sugar Company, tarmacking the Mumias-Musanda road, implementing flood control measures in Budalang’i, and launching the Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project.
Additionally, he laid the foundation stone for Khwisero Mother Child Level IV Hospital in Kakamega County and initiated the construction of the Luanda Modern Market in Vihiga County.
Despite these efforts, Gachagua argued that the projects were overshadowed by political maneuvering, suggesting that similar promises in Mount Kenya had yielded little to no results.
“Now, he doesn’t even visit us in Mount Kenya. I urge Western Kenya residents to focus on ensuring development and not be swayed by empty pledges,” he said.
Gachagua also urged the government to focus on tangible issues such as reviving sugar factories, improving road infrastructure, providing clean water, and addressing healthcare challenges.
The sugarcane farmers’ bonuses, which were part of Ruto’s initiatives in Western Kenya, have sparked controversy, with some leaders questioning the move.
Ruto defended the payments, emphasizing that sugarcane farmers deserved the same support as tea and coffee farmers in Rift Valley and Central Kenya.
He clarified that the Sh150 million for the bonuses would be sourced from the same kitty used to pay tea and coffee farmers and assured that other state-owned sugar millers, including Sony, Trans Nzoia, Chemelil, and Muhoroni, would soon start paying bonuses as well.
Gachagua also claimed that political leaders, professionals, and businesspeople fear being publicly associated with him due to concerns about victimization.
He alleged that although people regularly share their views with him in private, they are reluctant to be seen supporting him openly.
No amount of appointments from this region will change anything,” Gachagua concluded, reiterating that Mount Kenya’s political stance remains steadfast despite the President’s efforts to influence it.
