Aasai

FORMER Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is trying to make a comeback in politics, a journey that now includes a bid for the presidency, a move that analysts are interpreting as a mental trick or a huge mistake that will completely ruin his political career.

 For some, the idea of ​​Mr Gachagua becoming president is an impossibility, especially since he is tainted by impeachment. Others, however, feel it is too early to write him off. His supporters describe his strategies as a high-level game of chess. But even that respectable game has predictable rules and procedures. Many saw Mr Gachagua as a potential leader in the opposition. 

But now he says he is best suited to face President William Ruto in the 2027 elections, a stance that has already traumatized his allies within the opposition coalition. “I beg you to help me in my bid to run for president so that I can take Ruto home. 

He tricked us into going to the wedding (election) on a hired horse (without our party), but now we understand,” said Mr Gachagua on Sunday when he addressed a gathering in Nyandarua County. This is not the first time Mr Gachagua has expressed such a stance but now it is clear that he had a specific plan. “I believe I am the best and I should be the candidate for our side. 

If that does not happen and someone else is elected, I have said I will support him,” he declared three months ago when launching his Democratic Change Party (DCP). Analysts say  Gachagua is trying to think ten steps ahead while others are dragging their feet to plan the next step. Does this make him a visionary leader, or someone who is lost in the realities of Kenyan politics? That is the main question dominating political debates now.

However, Mr Gachaguas lawyers say that since he has challenged the removal case in court, the decision on his unfitness to hold public office has been stayed until the final court decision is made. They cite the Supreme Courts decision in the case of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, where it was held that the ban on holding public office only begins after all legal appeals have been exhausted. 

On that basis, they believe  Gachagua has three options to ensure that he is allowed by the Electoral Commission to contest if he so desires: Overturn the Senate decision in court on the grounds that he was removed on political grounds, not in breach of Chapter Six of the Constitution, obtain an interim court order to suspend the effects of his removal until the case is fully heard and persuade the court to declare that his removal was politically motivated, and therefore section 75(3) of the Constitution does not apply to him. 

Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Mr Mithika Linturi, supports the position of Mr Gachaguas lawyers. But Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni disagrees:“Citizenship education will help people understand what it means to be removed from office under the 2010 Constitution,” he said.

 In his stronghold of Mount Kenya, the situation is more complex. Mr Gachagua is popular as a strong voice of the opposition, but many doubt him as a national leader. “They want him to criticize Ruto, but not to take the helm,” said one of his aides. “If you ask them between Gachagua and William, the people of Mount Kenya will say they want ‘Tutam’ (two terms), not ‘Wantam’ (one term),” added another. For those who follow the history of Kenyan politics, the event of 1966 is inevitable – when Jaramogi Odinga broke with Jomo Kenyatta, and was completely isolated politically despite being loved by his supporters. 

The danger for Gachagua is not only from his stronghold. If he insists on running, he will find himself in a field full of opponents – including Prof Kindiki who represents the existing system, Martha Karua who is believed to be a reformist, and Moses Kuria who is a specialist in incitement and hardline tactics.