Is Gachagua bitter or man on a mission to sustain his opposition antics?

Hell has no fury like a Deputy President impeached. In the last three months impeached Deputy President Rigathi Rigathi has been on the warpath and in his crosshairs is his former boss President William Ruto who has been subject of his public vitriol.

The exchange of harsh words and the resultant political contest shows that either the President or Gachagua is bitter and angry. As to who is angry and bitter between the two, the political experts are pointing at both men depending on their leanings. 

Those who support Ruto have from time and again accused Gachagua of being bitter and living in denial after impeachment hence his spirited opposition against the government. At the same time, those who support the former DP, claim  the President was ‘extremely angry, and very irritable’ after discovering that Mt Kenya region was out of grip and hence his ‘foul language’ against the people and Gachagua.

The President’s allies who include pro Raila Odinga lieutenants led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa and Homabay Town MP Peter Kaluma have dismissed Gachagua’s onslaught.

They said the former DP is against the Kenya Kwanza administration and he is angry and vindictive against his former boss because of impeachment.

The leaders have also likened Gachagua’s popularity to his short stint in politics claiming that it will fade off, and that by 2027, he will have no seat or influence in the country’s politics.

While addressing Mt Kenya delegation at his official residence, Prof Kindiki accused his predecessor of engaging in political pettiness saying ‘if you see somebody try to shine three four years to the elections, that one is a loser. Strategic people know what they need to do now when the times come for mobilization.’

“Leadership is about changing people’s lives. There are many people who can convince people to support them including not so good people who include conmen and all manner of characters but above being a political leader we must aspire to be leaders. In leadership, it is not about popularity but transformation and impact of society. There are many people who can be popular for no good reason. They have not transformed anybody, not built roads, or assisted youth to get a job.

Former Nominated Senator Wilson Sossion claimed that Gachagua’s opposition against Ruto was nothing but an avenue for venting.

“The scathing attacks from Rigathi are expected. He is bitter, and it is natural. Let him vent.  The fact is the president is in office courtesy of the people of Kenya and the commitment he made to them. He should not bend to every whim of the people. The president should focus on his agenda. The indicators that the government is working and no amount of attacks can refute that,” Sossion said.

Kaluma said of Gachagua, “He doesn’t know he was impeached and cannot hold public office for life. I told you not all mad men walk naked."

But Gachagua’s allies and a section of political analysts warn against writing him off saying he was a man on a mission and he had shown that he has the firepower to sustain his opposition antics.

While the president's allies accused Gachagua of attacking Ruto as a way to express his anger, Gachagua and his allies think otherwise. They believe the President was the one who was not at ease as he did not anticipate that the impeachment could be the former DP's blessings in disguise.

“Ruto is very bitter, extremely angry, and very irritable that for a whole six days, he is abusing me in Western Kenya. Rigathi Gachagua is not a road in Webuye, he is not a hospital in Vihiga, he is not a water pan in Kakamega and he is not a slaughterhouse in Bungoma. The President has gone to Western for six days just talking about Rigathi Gachagua and occasionally Kalonzo Musyoka because he is bitter that his voting bloc, the one that made him President, the Mt Kenya bloc is gone and gone forever,” Gachagua said last week.

The same sentiments are shared by Muranga Senator Joe Nyutu who said: “The President can’t keep calm because he was misled by his allies that doing away with Gachagua could not politically harm him and things have gone haywire. This is why he has resulted to insulting Kenyans, isolating Mt Kenya region and calling Gachagua tribal.”  

Political analysts have waded into Gachagua’s capabilities, on whether his seemingly ruthless opposition against the government will bear fruits and whether it will wear off when it dawns on him that he no longer has the trappings of power. The money and the budget to crisscross the whole country given that he does not have a political party with elected leaders paying for the party activities to enable him run the Opposition show.

In an interview with Western region local radio stations, Gachagua maintained that he was focused on participating in forming the next government and announced that a grand coalition was in the offing that would replicate the Rainbow coalition of 2002.

 Albert Kasembeli, a communication expert and political analyst, contended that while the former DP may be naturally bitter because of his impeachment orchestrated by his former boss, he was making sense to Kenyans for saying what they wanted to hear against the government and that he was to be believed because he was an insider.

“He seems determined, confident, able and committed to sustain his onslaught against the government and the person of Ruto. If they continue giving him a leeway he will continue proving to be the government’s threat especially in 2027,” Kasembeli said.

He however said Gachagua’s sustenance against the Kenya Kwanza administration would be measured by the performance of the administration, noting that the country’s political landscape is fluid and extremely unpredictable.  

“But he has leveraged his removal from office to galvanize support against the government. He has singlehanded occasioned tectonic shifts in the political landscape where opposition leaders are considering him in their political realignments strategies,” Kasembeli said.