Aasai

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has come out guns blazing, accusing President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga of political betrayal and manipulation, which he claims have left him and Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka sidelined and betrayed. Speaking during a major opposition rally in Mazeras, Kilifi County, on Saturday, June 7, 2025, Gachagua justified his alliance with Kalonzo, describing it as a natural coming together of leaders who have both suffered under the new political arrangement that birthed the current broad-based government. He lamented that despite their past loyalty and sacrifices, they were left in the cold as Ruto and Raila secured power through a controversial pact signed in March this year. According to Gachagua, the partnership excluded the very people who propelled the two leaders into power—including communities from the Mt. Kenya, Ukambani, and Coast regions.

Gachagua accused Raila of abandoning Kalonzo Musyoka and his Ukambani stronghold immediately after entering the deal with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), effectively betraying the trust and votes of the coastal and eastern regions. “These people have really missed us,” he said. “Raila Odinga has misused Kalonzo, the people from the coast, and their votes. When he entered the broad-based government with Ruto, did he go with you? He went in all by himself.” The former deputy president likened his own political downfall to Kalonzo’s experience, saying that both of them were used and discarded for convenience. He claimed that President Ruto had executed a similar scheme in Mt. Kenya, exploiting the region’s votes in 2022 only to later alienate it politically. “Kasongo (Ruto) used me and the people of the Mountain to his own advantage. Now the people who have been taken advantage of must unite,” he declared.

The fiery Gachagua didn’t hold back in his critique of Ruto’s administration, warning of what he called systemic looting and national asset grab under the guise of development. He claimed that the Mombasa Port was being prepared for sale and that land in Taita Taveta had already been irregularly acquired by government-linked individuals. Gachagua painted a grim picture of what he termed as a regime driven by greed and warned that unless stopped, Ruto would “auction the entire country.” “If we don’t remove him from power, he will come for your house next,” he told the charged crowd in Mazeras. The former DP stressed the urgency of uniting all victims of political betrayal to form a credible alternative force ahead of the 2027 elections. He portrayed the alliance with Kalonzo not as political opportunism but as a rallying call to all who feel used and dumped by the current power structure.

In a further damning revelation, Gachagua alleged massive mismanagement of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), claiming that funds meant for Kenyan workers’ retirement were being illegally diverted to controversial infrastructure projects. He accused the government of plotting to misuse the money to fund the construction of the Mau Summit–Rironi highway, which is expected to cost billions and be completed by 2027. “That NSSF money, Kasongo has planned it. He has taken it illegally,” he said in Swahili, alleging that the funds were also linked to a questionable 99-year lease deal that gave control of the iconic Bomas of Kenya to a foreign investor from India. According to Gachagua, this deal is part of a wider pattern of underhanded economic decisions that not only jeopardize national assets but also rob ordinary Kenyans of their future. His remarks underscored the formation of a new political movement anchored on restoring accountability, protecting public resources, and offering a fresh alternative to Kenyans disillusioned by the current regime.