Mbadi, Ichungwah and Junet tell off Gachagua over Ruto promises

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua yesterday stirred a storm in political circles over his heavy criticism of President William Ruto's scorecard at four years, where he accused him of state capture.

Over 50 MPs allied to Kenya Kwanza momentarily left the afternoon plenary to respond to Gachagua, even as they branded him as the ‘biggest goon, desperate for attention in addition to being the most unpatriotic person’.

Leader of Majority and Minority Parties in the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu) and Junet Mohamed (Suna East) respectively led the MPs in saying that Gachagua was driven by his attention-seeking disorder to make a statement designed to malign the Kenya Kwanza administration.

“His unworthy effort to bring the government to disrepute must not pass without response. He has run out of tricks and has resorted to unimaginable innuendos, malicious rumors, and reckless disparagement of institutions. Kenyans cannot be persuaded by the empty-headedness, divisive and polarising rhetoric of the tribal bigot,” Ichung’wah uttered in the heavily worded statement.

According to Ichung’wah, Gachagua has perfected the art of building national anxiety, disorder, and rubble-rousing and is still sulking and pained by the impeachment he faced and imagines that the  government cannot run without him.

He accused Gachagua of attempting to extort Sh300 million from the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) while serving as the country’s second-in-command.

But they disparaged his antics, saying that there is no notable contribution recorded of his positive footprints when he was the Deputy President.

Also of concern to the MPs is that Gachagua is playing petty politics with the country’s security and its agencies.

He has made numerous, wild and frivolous allegations without proof.

They accused him of being determined to dilute objective national security agencies by aiming his petty political arsenals at diligent security officers, in his classic style of ethnic profiling, and is desperate to bastardise security agencies to cause anarchy and subvert the rule of law.

“We continue to remind Kenyans why he was impeached: violating the constitution, undermining institutions, and the rule of law. He lacks integrity; he is heartless, reckless, careless, and malicious. Isn’t the same fellow who demanded Sh10 billion to fix Mount Kenya politics? The tribal tyrant who is running from his own ugly shadow is casting aspersions on other leaders while being unpatriotic,” Ichungw’ah insisted.

In his life, they said that Gachagua has never spoken of hope nor shared any vision on how to move Kenya forward, and in his narrow world, he does not see the cancer patient getting treatment from SHA and will never be happy to see a boda boda rider or a Mama Mboga living a dignified in a two-bedroom apartment courtesy of the Affordable Housing Programme.

“To demonstrate how heartless Gachagua is, he named one Eric Mwangi to have been killed in Russia. Eric Mwangi is a nephew to Mathira MP, Eric Wamumbi. Eric Mwangi is alive. Why is he wishing death on him? He has no regards to the family and their feelings,” he added.

He termed it as ironic that the man purporting to speak about security is on record mobilising members of the outlawed gangs to protect churches, political rallies and polling stations.

“Isn’t this goonism? Rigathi is a chief goon. Have we forgotten how two years ago he mobilised his fellow goons to invade Northlands Farm, destroyed property, and stole sheep belonging to Mama Ngina, a widow.  In particular, he has been very consistent in alleging that guns were stolen from Kikuyu Police Station. In fact, those firearms were stolen in a demonstration organised by Rigathi himself. Riggy-GOON is a disgrace,” Ichung’wah charged.

He added: Rigathi is on a fishing expedition, desperate for attention to salvage his dwindling political fortunes, disillusioned by his lack of national influence, and bleak political future. He is a liar, a cheat, a political turncoat, a conman, callous, and extremely unpatriotic. No wonder he has a dark heart.”

The Minority leader joined in saying Gachagua lacks empathy and remorse and is dancing on the grave of a patriot and trying to make political capital out of the death of a statesman, Raila Amolo Odinga.

“It is in the public domain that it is Gachagua who attempted Raila Odinga’s life during the 2023 demonstration when he instructed security officers to aim at him. To date, he has never mourned Raila. It is a fact that he hated Baba with a passion.”

Junet said Gachagua cannot talk about public debt, accusing him of being incompetent to talk about it and lacking the elementary understanding of economic management.

When he was DP, he conceded that he lacked the understanding of economics; that is why he never participated in any single meeting on economic recovery.

“It is very sad that the opposition today has been reduced to the level of Gachagua. Look at the kind of opposition we used to have and the garbage we are listening to today as opposition. He has transferred the hate he had for Raila to me. The other day I was travelling with him in the same plane, and he refused to greet me. I told him ‘How are you mheshimiwa?’ and he said ‘No, don’t greet me’,” Junet said.

Junet also told Gachagua to keep off matters of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), saying that the party is strong and their broad-based meeting in Naivasha unsettled him.

“I’m wondering, what does he know about ODM because him and ODM cannot be in the same sentence. When ODM was on the streets fighting for the rights of Kenyans in 2023, Rigathi summoned security officers at 5 am to assassinate Raila. We have to shame the name Rigathi Gachagua,” said Junet.

Separately, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi defended President Ruto's record and accused Gachagua and the opposition of fighting the government on ethnic grounds.

Mbadi told off the opposition, saying they should give Ruto room to serve his full 10-year term, even as he accused him of having no agenda, in addition to lacking coherence and clarity.

He urged them to spend the remaining time refining their agenda in preparation for the next election cycle.

“You should be celebrating us; we have saved this economy. Most of these people are fighting Ruto on ethnic grounds, not on the economy. If it is the economy, we should be called to be celebrated; some of us should be given awards in this country because we removed this country from where it was almost tipping. Let’s give credit where it is due,” Mbadi said.