Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has disclosed details of a tense confrontation with President William Ruto moments before the announcement of the new Cabinet, following the disbandment of the previous one after the Gen Z protests.
The former DP claimed that the President angrily threw a list of nominees and later a pen at him, demanding that he make the changes himself.
Speaking during the launch of former Attorney General Justin Muturi’s book The Fight for Order in Nairobi, Gachagua narrated how he and Ruto clashed over the omission of Muturi’s name from the Cabinet list.
According to Gachagua, Ruto had initially excluded anyone from Embu in the first batch of nominees, a move that raised questions within the Mt. Kenya region.
“When the first list came out, there was no one from Embu. I asked him why, and he told me, ‘Let’s wait kidogo,’” Gachagua revealed.
However, tension escalated when Ruto called him and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to flank him during the final announcement without disclosing the names.
“I told him I couldn’t flank him without knowing the names. That’s when he brought the list and threw it at me angrily,” Gachagua recounted.
Upon checking, he discovered that Muturi’s name had been removed and replaced by another candidate allegedly proposed by Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire.
Gachagua said he protested the decision, prompting Ruto to react furiously.
“He threw a pen at me and said, ‘Toa huyo mtu, weka huyo JB yako hapo!’” the former DP said, quoting the President. Eventually, Ruto allowed him to amend the list, leading to Muturi’s reinstatement.
The revelations shed light on deep internal tensions that preceded the formation of Ruto’s broad-based Cabinet, hinting at growing cracks between the President and his former deputy.
By Newshub