Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, in an apparent effort to shake off the tribalism tag pasted on him by his detractors, now says his fallout with President William Ruto was because of his stance to defend all communities.

He recently took his campaign against Ruto out of Mt Kenya and camped in Western Kenya.

In a stopover in Vihiga, Gachagua, who was in the company of other opposition honchos; Wiper party's Kalonzo Musyoka, Eugene Wamalwa (DAP Kenya), Justin Muturi and Governor George Natembeya, among others, sought to be perceived as the defender of the Luhya community.

He claimed that he stepped in to champion the interests of the Mulembe nation when Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula seemed to be noncommittal to the agreement they signed with Ruto before the 2022 elections in the best interest of the people.

Gachagua asserted that after Mudavadi and Wetang'ula seemed to have failed to push for the actualisation of their deal with Ruto, he took it upon himself to talk for the people.

He claimed he pushed for the delivery of the road promise, among other commitments.

That would be the beginning of his fallout with Ruto, he said.

"I fell out with Ruto because of you people, because you are my cousins. He wrote an agreement with Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang'ula that the Luhya community would get a 30% share of the government and that you would get 1,000 kilometres of tarmac road. Ruto chased me from the government because I stepped in to defend the interests of the Luhya community, my cousins. We are asking Mudavadi and Wetang'ula, where are the 1,000 kilometres of roads you negotiated with Ruto for the Western Kenya people?" he posed.

Meanwhile, as Gachagua and his allies intensify their outreach to the Western region, the true test of their influence will unfold in the 2027 electioneering period.

Ruto appears to be courting the bloc in an effort to win over strongholds that have traditionally backed ODM leader Raila Odinga.

In recent times, Ruto has increased his visits to Western Kenya, unveiling development projects and offering key government appointments to the natives—moves seen as attempts to gain the region’s favour.

Historically, counties such as Vihiga, Kakamega, and Busia have been loyal supporters of Raila in presidential contests.

With his alliance with Raila currently intact, Ruto seems to be focusing on inheriting the bases, possibly to offset waning support in Mt. Kenya, which played a pivotal role in his 2022 victory.

However, Gachagua has pushed back against the president’s advances, warning Western Kenya voters to be cautious.

He argues that Ruto’s gestures are a strategy to win their backing for the 2027 election, after which he might ditch them—as he allegedly did with the Mt. Kenya bloc.

Gachagua drew parallels between the two regions, claiming that Ruto had heavily engaged Mt. Kenya during the campaign period, only to sideline it post-election.

He urged the Western electorate to learn from that experience.

Source: TUKO.co.ke