Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of persecuting the Mt. Kenya region, alleging a systematic political purge and police crackdown targeting the community. Speaking at the burial of his aunt, the late Gladys Gathoni Kahua, in Nyeri County on Saturday, Gachagua claimed that he ignored early warnings about Ruto’s political intentions.
In an emotional speech, Gachagua recounted a stern caution from his late aunt, saying, “She warned me that Ruto would first persecute me, then my children, and eventually my community. I didn’t believe her then. But today, it is all unfolding exactly as she said.”
The former second-in-command alleged that a high-level meeting was held last Saturday at State House, during which President Ruto purportedly summoned police commanders and ordered a crackdown on the Mt. Kenya region. “Out of the more than 400 people who have been arrested, 92% are from our community on nothing but trumped-up charges,” he claimed.
Gachagua also accused Kikuyu MP and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah of collaborating with Ruto in what he termed a campaign to silence dissent and suppress youth activism. He cited the arrest of Peter Kinyanjui alias Kawanjiru, the youth leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) in Kiambu County, linking it to efforts by Ichung’wah to criminalize political opposition.
Expressing deep remorse, Gachagua issued a public apology to the Mt. Kenya community for supporting Ruto’s presidential campaign in 2022. “I want you to forgive me. This mess we are in as a community is my fault. My aunt had warned me that William Ruto is an evil man,” he said.
The latest remarks add fuel to the growing political rift between Ruto and Gachagua, as tensions escalate in the Mt. Kenya region amid widespread youth protests and rising concerns over government suppression. Gachagua’s bold accusations signal a deepening fallout that could reshape political alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.
