Kiambaa MP John Kawanjiku has publicly stated that he owes no political allegiance to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, insisting he has “paid all his political debts” and will no longer be subjected to external pressure.
Kawanjiku explained that Gachagua had long assumed his support in the parliamentary seat race would guarantee loyalty. “I think the former Deputy President believes he really campaigned for me alone, and that my loyalty should be to him,” Kawanjiku said. “But I told him some time back, I have paid my political debts, and the pressure has been enough.”
The first-term MP recounted a tense encounter with Gachagua in 2023, during which he was reportedly spoken to harshly and asked to leave the Deputy President’s office at Harambee House Annexe.
“At the time, we were talking about generational change,” Kawanjiku said. “When Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro visited my constituency, he called me angrily over the phone, and later asked me to leave his office.”
Kawanjiku said the fallout was linked to his association with Nyoro, whom Gachagua views as a political rival. “The problem was that I had hosted Nyoro in my constituency. So I asked him, do you want to influence who I can be friends with?” he noted.
He added that the meeting in Kiharu focused on training MPs on effectively utilising the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF). “When I became MP, Gachagua himself advised me to learn from Nyoro’s model in Kiharu,” Kawanjiku explained. “Nyoro used labour-based projects that deliver more with less money, and I even took my team there to learn. Now he’s upset that I attended a meeting there? It makes no sense.”
Kawanjiku also dismissed claims that Gachagua was criticised during the meeting. “No one criticised him. People were simply saying they see a future in this young man, Ndindi Nyoro,” he said.
Last weekend, Gachagua, leader of the DP, had criticised MPs from Mt Kenya, citing Kawanjiku and Wamatinga as examples of weak leadership compared to Nyanza MPs. Kawanjiku’s remarks signal a clear break from such expectations of loyalty.
