Former Deputy President and DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has made fresh claims suggesting that plans to remove him from office were allegedly conceived before the 2022 general election, describing what he terms a calculated political arrangement within the Kenya Kwanza leadership.
Speaking during an interview on Thursday, June 4, Gachagua said the public display of unity within the coalition masked deep internal disagreements that had already taken shape before they assumed office.
He alleged that although leaders appeared united during campaigns and official functions, there was already a strategy to push him out after the election.
“We used to pretend in functions that we were together, but we were no longer together. The decision to hound me out of office was made before we were elected, and I came to realise it after a while,” he said.
Gachagua’s remarks point to what he describes as a deliberate political arrangement tied to succession planning within the Kenya Kwanza coalition, suggesting that decisions on key offices were influenced by electoral calculations rather than post-election consensus.
He further claimed that President William Ruto had initially preferred Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as his running mate but later reconsidered due to electoral strategy considerations in the vote-rich Mt. Kenya region.
“In his heart, he wanted Kindiki to be the deputy president, but he observed and noted that Kindiki had no capacity or influence to gather the mountain region’s votes.
On the other hand, he saw that Gachagua had the ability and the capacity to gather the mountain votes to help him become president,” he stated.
According to Gachagua, the decision was therefore driven by perceived electoral strengths rather than long-term political alignment, with regional support playing a central role in shaping the ticket composition.
He also alleged that after the election, internal negotiations continued regarding the structure of government and positions of influence.
Gachagua claimed that there was an understanding that would later see Kindiki elevated to the Interior docket, as part of a broader political arrangement.
“Ruto urged Kindiki to step aside from the ambitions, promising him that he would make it up to him after the elections. He promised Kindiki the Interior Ministry, saying he would count on his support to remove me from office,” Gachagua said.
The claims come at a time when political realignments and internal coalition tensions continue to shape Kenya’s leadership landscape, with ongoing debates over loyalty, succession, and regional political influence.
Neither President Ruto nor Interior CS Kindiki has publicly responded to the specific allegations made in the interview at the time of publication.
Gachagua’s remarks are likely to reignite debate within political circles over the formation of the Kenya Kwanza alliance and the internal negotiations that preceded and followed the 2022 elections, especially regarding leadership roles and regional power balancing.