Kenya’s embattled Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused his boss, William Ruto of trying to assassinate him twice before he brought an impeachment motion against him.
Speaking shortly after he left his hospital bed, at Karen Hospital, a crestfallen Gachagua lamented Ruto’s vicious character.
“I don’t understand this level of viciousness to a man who has been your deputy, who helped you to be president. Irrespective of whatever he is done. At this lowest moment in life, literally struggling to stay alive, you unleash such viciousness against him!”
Before this, he narrated how for a year, they had tried to kill him through poisoning. “I was supposed to be killed through poisoning. And if anything happens to me, or my family, president William Ruto must be held to account.”
Gachagua fell ill with chest pains in the process of his impeachment at the senate and was rushed to Karen hospital.
“I developed very intense pains in the chest, and I sat down and the pain continued. I called my doctor and I described to him how I was feeling. I started having shortness of breath, and he instructed me to get to here at Karen as quickly as possible.”
History of persecution
Being the first deputy president, Ruto was tested as the first holder of the office and he lamented that it was baptism of fire. Allegations of his persecution by the President’s junior staff were rife. He promised not to harass or embarrass his deputy the way he was harassed during his tenure as deputy president under Uhuru Kenyatta.
But in a turn of events, Gachagua, was ousted from office following a Senate impeachment vote. Gachagua faced 11 charges, including corruption, inciting ethnic hatred, and abuse of office. The vote passed despite Gachagua being hospitalized and absent during the proceedings. Gachagua, who denies the allegations, has challenged the process in court.
Gachagua revelations
The ousted DP revealed that “what happened on Thursday was a continuation of the persecution that has been going on for a year.”
“On 30th of August, in Kisumu, security agents entered my room and bugged it, and one of them tried to poison my food…on 3rd September, in Nyeri, another team from NIS tried to poison my food. I did report this matter to the intelligence service…” he added; “After the two attempts failed, its when this motion was hatched.”
His alleged crime
“The framers of the 2010 constitution wanted an elected deputy president, as a buffer, who can stand for the people. He wants to get rid of an elected deputy president, and appoint a control freak. He will be asked to sign an undated resignation letter, so that in case he starts asking questions, he can just be told to resign.”
Gachagua added; “I am the only man in this government who can stand up to President William Ruto and tell him, hey brother, this is not right.”
Plan of action
“As we speak, our lawyers are in court. We have faith in our judiciary, and I requested that according to the rules of natural justice, I be accorded an opportunity to be heard in the senate.”
Gachagua explains that his lawyers told him that the motion was not timebound. What is time bound is a select committee that should work for ten days and report to the plenary, and that committee was never constituted.
