Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has refuted claims that he demanded Ksh.10 billion from President William Ruto after the 2022 General Election, calling the allegations false and a smear campaign designed to weaken his political influence in Mt. Kenya.
Speaking during a KTN News interview on Monday, Gachagua described the accusations as baseless and politically motivated. “I never blackmailed the President. If that were the case, it would have been the first charge during the efforts to force me out of office,” he said.
Gachagua further alleged that his ouster was orchestrated by President Ruto, the National Intelligence Service, and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki. He pointed to inconsistent justifications for his removal presented across different regions ranging from tribalism and incompetence to corruption claiming these were part of a broader disinformation campaign.
The allegations resurfaced last week during President Ruto’s five-day tour of Central Kenya. In an interview with vernacular radio stations, Ruto claimed Gachagua had threatened political retaliation unless he was granted Ksh.10 billion to consolidate regional support.
“I was told, ‘I can make you a one-term president unless you give me Ksh.10 billion to organize politics in the region.’ I refused. If my fate is to be a one-term president, so be it,” Ruto said.
Gachagua countered this narrative, stating that he had invested heavily in Ruto’s campaign despite facing persecution under the previous regime. “They froze my accounts, blocked my businesses, and tried to stop me. I funded the campaign out of personal conviction,” he stated.
He also criticized President Ruto’s recent meeting with female dancers from Central Kenya, where each was reportedly given Ksh.8,000 and told Gachagua wanted to “eat it alone”—a claim he called dishonest and manipulative.
The standoff between the two former allies reflects deepening political cracks within the Kenya Kwanza coalition, particularly in the battle for influence in the Mt. Kenya region ahead of 2027.
