Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is increasingly finding himself at odds with some senators from the Mt Kenya region over their public discussions of potential successors to President William Ruto.
Gachagua, speaking on Thursday in Meru County, urged senators Wamatinga Wahome (Nyeri) and Joe Nyutu (Murang’a) to “watch their words” and stop making “reckless remarks” about the 2027 race.
He accused them of getting “excited” on television and focusing on “unimportant things” instead of concentrating on development, a key pledge of the Kenya Kwanza coalition that brought Ruto and Gachagua to power in 2022.
“I saw the Murang’a senator speaking rubbish and the Nyeri senator also speaking rubbish,” said Gachagua.
Gachagua firmly established his and Ruto’s dominance over national-level political discourse.
“The work of a senator is oversight of counties. National government matters and plans are for the President and me. That senator (Nyutu) should be asking me about Nyeri’s development plans,” he said.
This sharp rebuke comes in response to growing speculation within Mt Kenya, a crucial voting bloc, about who might replace Ruto as Kenya Kwanza’s presidential candidate in 2027.
Senator Nyutu, along with Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, has openly thrown his support behind Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, positioning him as a potential successor to Gachagua as Deputy President.
Nyutu has accused Gachagua of “losing his ground” and “treating people disrespectfully,” further escalating the tension.
In Nyutu’s view, President Ruto’s current deputy Rigathi Gachagua is seemingly losing popularity in the Mount Kenya region, a region deemed to be a political stronghold.
“We love the president and because we don’t want him to encounter any problem in the mountain then I think the best [thing] would be to come with the most popular running mate,” Nyutu argued.
“I think he (Nyoro) could be more popular, we are on the ground we listen to people, we hear what people think about each one of us. Ndindi has shown some very good social skills, a very good relationship with people and generally he has favour.”
However, Nyoro himself has remained silent on the matter, and other high-ranking officials within Kenya Kwanza have echoed Gachagua and Ruto’s calls for a focus on development rather than the next election.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki recently denounced the dragging of his name into the succession debate, calling it “premature,” while President Ruto himself declared it an “insult to Kenyans” for leaders to be preoccupied with 2027 while still having much to accomplish in their current terms.
Ruto emphasized the gravity of his administration’s agenda, highlighting priorities like transforming the country, tackling unemployment, and boosting agricultural production for food security.
He reiterated, “It will be a great problem if we do not deliver,” urging all leaders to concentrate on fulfilling their elected duties instead of getting sidetracked by political maneuvering.
