By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- In my earlier article, I noted. The enemy of kikuyu is kikuyu and the recent events once again attest to this.
- Though it had started as rumors, many Kenyans later believed the talk of impeaching the deputy president Rigathi Gachagua was real. Shockingly, the plot had been hatched by elected MPs from Gachagua’s backyard of Mount Kenya region.
- While working at the behest of the outsiders the MPs were out to bring down one of their own. The ouster bid was publicly informed by sheer envy, hatred and raw political ambitions.
- For me, I knew the coup plotters were on their own. They were not enjoying the support of the electorate. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before they chickened out.
I have been following with keen interest the unfolding political developments in Mount Kenya region.
The discourse is primarily hinged on the supremacy battle around the most suitable candidate to succeed former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the kingpin.
Initially, the stories published by the mainstream media and social media were skewed and biased.
These stories created the impression that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was playing in the same league with the leaders from the region who were eyeing the same seat.
In the recent past, we have seen Gachagua coming out to reaffirm that he is the kingpin of the Mountain.
The locals have been turning up in large numbers to attend the rallies and social gatherings that he has so far held.
This was replicated a few days ago when the DP attended a burial in Githunguri, Kiambu county.
The DP reiterated that his push for the unity of purpose in the Mountain.
We are not necessarily doing this because we love each other. We are doing this because we want our people to reap the fruits of development.
We want the work on construction of Mau Mau roads to resume. We want to see these roads completed.
He also called on leaders to focus on plight of coffee, tea and milk farmers.
We have been talking about guaranteed minimum return for long. I challenge our legislators to ensure this law is now enacted.
In my earlier article, I noted. The enemy of kikuyu is kikuyu and the recent events once again attest to this.
Though it had started as rumors, many Kenyans later believed the talk of impeaching the deputy president Rigathi Gachagua was real.
Shockingly, the plot had been hatched by elected MPs from Gachagua’s backyard of Mount Kenya region.
While working at the behest of the outsiders the MPs were out to bring down one of their own.
The ouster bid was publicly informed by sheer envy, hatred and raw political ambitions.
For me, I knew the coup plotters were on their own. They were not enjoying the support of the electorate.
Therefore, it was only a matter of time before they chickened out.
This came to pass during President William Ruto’s three-day tour of the region.
The President did not mince any word in urging the local leaders to tone down on political rhetoric and instead focus on fulfilling the pre-election promises.
Each one of you has a destiny with the voters. If you don’t deliver, they will show you the door come 2027.
A story published by one of the mainstream media had earlier created the impression that the members of parliament from the Mountain plotting to impeach the DP enjoyed the blessings of the president.
I knew President William Ruto was a wise man and a well-schooled politician.
So, I would not have expected him to support the ouster bid without first listening to the voice of the Mountain.
During this tour, he realized that majority of the local people were behind Gachagua.
Besides receiving a thunderous applause whenever he invited him to address the crowds in Embu, Muranga and Kirinyaga counties, President Ruto was reported to have received a similar message from 43 local MPs whom he had hosted at State House Nairobi. For some of the MPs, this was U-turn. The change of heart was a political survival strategy.
Kikuyu MP and Majority leader Kimani Ichungwah and MP Mwangi Kiunjuri and his Mathira counterpart Eric Wamumbi were conspicuously absent. The three were known to be fierce critics of DP Gachagua.
It is true the DP was missing from President’s meeting with the MPs. But attempts by DP’s critics to politicize his absence backfired immediately.
It emerged that the local MPs had requested the President not to invite the DP. This is because one of the agenda items touched on DP’s latest conduct particularly his utterances and body language during his forays in the Mountain.
The MPs wanted to discuss this matter freely.
Media reports indicated President Ruto had communicated this to DP. He had no problem and had given him a go ahead.
In his response after the meeting, the President is reported to have told the MPs. I concurs with you and one of the reasons is because the grounds cited do not meet the requisite threshold for impeachment of DP.
I had a few days earlier listened to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s remarks during a live interview with Mount Kenya vernacular stations.
Regarding his relationship with his boss, President William Ruto, he insisted that it remained cordial and intact.
He however pointed an accusing finger at some unnamed State House based officials. One of these persons was so powerful. He was intimidating and selling fear to even members of parliament.
Responding to reports swirling around that his critics have hatched a plot to impeach him, he stated. I’m not aware of this plot. I’m reading this in the media the same way you are doing.
I have heard those who want me to go home are members of parliament. I want to tell them that they did not elect me. President Ruto and I won 2022 polls on a joint ticket.
So I was elected by people of Kenya.
Given this scenario, I would expect members of parliament who want to send me home to first ask Kenyans whether they support the move.
But politics being what it is, I’m not ruling out the possibility of this motion being filed.
But I would expect justice and fairness to prevail in this process. If I’m impeached, I will go home with my head held high.
In an earlier article in this column, I focussed on how President William Ruto responded during a live interview to the question of whether he had fallen out with his deputy. I’m not aware of any political differences with my deputy. The truth of matter is that he is my deputy. If you don’t trust me, go and look for him. I cannot speak for him.
The DP had been reading a similar script. He had never openly picked a war with his boss.
As a principal assistant to the President, he has been stating. My job is to help the President implement what he promised Kenyans during campaigns. Our was a joint ticket. So, if I don’t do this, I will also be blamed.
I had also listened to DP’s in Gatanga in Muranga county. He minced no word in warning elected leaders from Mount Kenya region that their days were numbered.
If they fail listen to the ground, they will lose their seats come the next general election in 2027.
As expected, his critics interpreted his remarks to mean taking on his boss, President William Ruto.
I disagree! The truth of the matter is that if election are called today the region will not vote as a bloc for President Ruto as it happened in 2022 polls. If it turns out this is the message he was passing to the President, I would not expect the head of state to feel offended.
Dr President Ruto is a well-schooled politician.
The ground in Mount Kenya region is mainly shifting because a quite number of development projects that the two leaders had made to the residents during the campaigns were yet to be rolled out.
By virtue of being senior most politician in the region, the residents considered Gachagua as their savior.
He may have some weaknesses but this is normal with all politicians. No one is 100 percent perfect.
For residents, the enemies of the Mountain had regrouped and were out to split the region. We will not allow them to have their way.
We will firmly stand behind Gachagua because he is a unifying factor.
The DP’s speech in Gatanga came hot on the heels of recent protests organized and led by Generation-Z.
One of the grounds cited by plotters is Gachagua’s alleged role in sponsoring these demonstrations.
It is not therefore lost that the campaign took a new height on the day that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives grilled and recorded statements from three of his top allies.
It remains to be seen whether the information extracted carried any weight that could be used to pin down DP.
In political circles, the diehard supporters of DP have been dismissing the claims, stating the DP was being targeted for political reasons.
At the height of Gen-Z protests, I had an opportunity to listen to Gachagua’s remarks when he addressed the press in Mombasa.
The DP stated that he was privy to the information that some state operatives were out to make false claims that former President Uhuru Kenyatta and I were sponsoring the protests.
The DP directed his anger at the top leadership of National Intelligence Service (NIS). If they had relayed correct briefings to the President, the bloodshed we have witnessed could have been avoided.
While roundly condemning the police for using excessive force against the protesters resulting to snuffing out of the lives of innocent youths, the DP echoed the words of the President. These are our children and had not broken any law.
The constitution provides that the motion to impeach a sitting DP can only sail through if it garners two-third majority or above in parliament.
Well, for now, some people argue the motion can sail through. This is because President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga have buried their differences and are working together.
But there is the issue of whether the grounds cited by his accusers meets the requisite threshold of law.
The motion of the impeachment can only be allowed if the mover manages to convince the house that the actions of DP amount to gross violation of the constitution and the international treaties.
I heard earlier listened to the remarks by Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thangwa. He seemed to confirm that President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua were not reading the same script.
We the people of the Mountain are asking President William Ruto to engage DP Gachagua in dialogue the same way he is engaging Generation-Z and millennials.
The senator, who spoke in presence of the Deputy President in Maragwa, stated. We have heard that the President has initiated a process of reaching out to the young people.
This is after they took to the streets to register their strong reservations with the way the country is being governed.
We want the President to use the same template to engage the DP.
He added: DP Gachagua is our kingpin in the Mountain. I’m therefore answerable to him. So this is what I want to tell the President. You cannot reach me without going through him.
The DP was also accompanied by a host of elected leaders from this region.
As we know, the people of Mount Kenya region voted for President Ruto to the last man and woman during 2022 polls. He garnered 87 percent and these are the votes that catapulted him to the seat of president.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi
