Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is now leveraging every detail he has about President William Ruto and using it to tear him apart.

The two leaders have turned out to be bitter adversaries despite their camaraderie in 2022 that handed them the presidential win.

Their friendship, which from the onset seemed unbreakable, would last two years only, with Gachagua later unceremoniously leaving the presidency.

His bitterness with Ruto can be said to stem from his impeachment late last year.

In an interview on Friday evening, May 15, Gachagua regretted how he trusted Ruto fully without foreseeing the possibility of a friendship breach.

Speaking in Obina TV interview, the former deputy president revealed that Ruto's tears were the main reason he trusted him and offered to rally behind him in the campaign even without a formal post-election agreement.

He recalled Ruto getting emotional as he recounted the predicament he had at the hands of his then boss, former president Uhuru Kenyatta.

Gachagua said he was carried in Ruto's emotions and forewent the need to have a formal post-election agreement, only depending on the president's goodwill to honour their partnership.

"The guy would even come here and cry. When you see a grown-up man cry, you feel for him. I was a great friend of Uhuru Kenyatta, and at some point, Ruto knew I was under pressure to abandon him and go and join Uhuru. So he knew if I left, he would be done, so he was here crying, begging me not to leave him. I was in shock. If it is a woman or a child crying, you take it lightly, but someone over 50 years, and a leader for that matter, you take it very seriously," Gachagua said.

At the same time, Gachagua disclosed that he chose to keep photos of himself and Ruto in his home, viewing them as a souvenir that reminds him of the president's failure to uphold their agreement during the 2022 campaigns.

He recounted how, during the election period, Ruto frequently visited his home in Wamunyoro to seek his backing for the presidency.

At the time, Ruto came across as sincere and persuasive in his bid for the top seat.

During the visits, as narrated by Gachagua, they shared moments and took photographs, anticipating the upcoming election.

He admitted that he was convinced by Ruto’s promises and did not foresee their eventual fallout, which would be underscored by his impeachment in October 2024.

Despite the way their relationship ended, Gachagua explained that he chose to keep the photos rather than discard them.

He sees them as a constant reminder of the mistakes he made by placing trust in someone without caution, stating that they help him stay grounded whenever he is on the verge of making similar blunders.

Source: TUKO.co.ke