Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has hit out at Rigathi Gachagua for comments made by the former Deputy President on Raila Odinga's political relevancy.

Wandayi, speaking during a women's empowerment event in Migori on Sunday, expressed outrage over the remarks Gachagua made during the former DP's recent trip to Seattle, United States.

During an engagement with Kenyans in the US on July 12, Gachagua slammed both President William Ruto and the ODM Party Leader, claiming the latter had become irrelevant after so many losses in the Presidential elections.

Wandayi, a former ODM MP for Ugunja Constituency, warned Gachagua against making such utterances, daring the former DP to make the remarks whilst in Kenya.

Energy Cabinet Secretary James Opiyo Wandayi during the commissioning of Loo Rateng' rural electrification project in Migori County on February 24, 2025.

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Opiyo Wandayi

"I was very angry the other day when I saw that man who was removed as deputy president going to America to insult Baba and Ruto. He claimed Baba has lost popularity, even here in our Nyanza, even here in Rongo," Wandayi said.

He added,  "I want to tell Mr Wamunyoro that the political shock coming will hit so hard, Baba is already doing press-ups in the Aberdare Forests. He will learn that he doesn’t know. He can’t go around disrespecting everyone."

In his speech on Saturday, Gachagua faulted Raila as a political opportunist, as he accused the ODM chief of inserting himself in any government.

Gachagua went on to dismiss any chances of a dialogue with the government, urging Kenyans to 'persevere' for the next two years ahead of the 2027 General Election.

“The dialogue we need is in the ballot box in 2027. Raila Odinga has been in every dialogue, but the problems of Kenya don’t end. What we need is transformative leadership. It is time we persevere for two years and sort out this matter once and for all,” Gachagua said.

The same day, Raila dismissed Gachagua's politics as empty rhetoric, insisting that the former DP was not the solution to the country's problems if President William Ruto failed to retain the presidential seat in 2027. 

Gachagua arrived in the United States on Wednesday, July 9, night, marking his first international trip since his removal from office in October 2024.

Before he left, he held a press briefing, claiming that some of his close associates had received threats that alluded to him being blocked from travelling to the United States for diaspora engagements.

Former DP Rigathi Gachagua and wife Dorcas Rigathi arriving at Ngemi Cia Ruraya in Seattle Washington on July 12, 2025.

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Rigathi Gachagua