Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua speaks at AIPCA St Mary’s Church in Buuri Constituency, Meru county during Sunday Service, June 22, 2025. /RIGATHI GACHAGUA/XFormer Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has told President William Ruto not to count on the Mt Kenya region’s support in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Sunday during a church service at the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Meru, Gachagua accused the President of betrayal and ignoring the region’s expectations.
“My brother William Ruto, I cannot help you. Don’t blame me, I'm not the cause,” Gachagua said.
“I sat you down and told you that people from the mountain loved you, but they hate being betrayed.”
The leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) said he had repeatedly warned Ruto about growing dissatisfaction in Mt Kenya over how national affairs were being managed.
“My brother William Ruto, you have lost the mountain. Let me advise you for free; forget about this mountain. If you have any plan to be re-elected, in your formula and mathematics, remove the mountain because it is gone forever,” he declared.
Gachagua insisted that no amount of money could repair the political damage.
“Even if you spend Sh100 billion, the mountain is gone and gone for good,” he said.
He accused the President of abandoning a strong voting bloc in favour of smaller political gains elsewhere.
“He has left four million votes to chase one million votes,” Gachagua remarked, in what appeared to be a reference to Ruto’s efforts to widen his support base beyond Mt Kenya.
The former DP is currently on a three-day tour of Meru County to promote his party and rally support for the opposition’s anti-government campaign.
Ruto, who was also in Meru on Saturday for the 10th Annual Dairy Farmers Field Day at the Meru ASK showground, later addressed residents at Makutano, where he defended his administration’s development agenda.
The President dismissed his former deputy as a “propagandist,” insisting his investments in Meru and other regions were driven by national interest, not political manoeuvring.
“I have done nothing wrong in bringing development to Meru. I will not be distracted by propaganda,” the President said.
