Ruto's loud silence

From left: First Lady Rachael Ruto, President William Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his wife Dorcas during Ruto’s Inauguration as the 5th President of Kenya at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on September 13, 2022. [File, Standard] 

President William Ruto Wednesday steered clear of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment debate during a tourism event at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.

Dr Ruto, who quietly jetted back from the US on Monday, has kept mum on the subject, even as his allies began the process of kicking Gachagua out of office on Tuesday.

There was no off-the-cuff remark during the event, uncharacteristic of the man whose speeches are often full of digressions. The Head of State kept to his written speech, giving politics of the day a wide berth.

He later met a delegation of current and former governors of Africa at State House and had nothing to say about his besieged deputy  and his woes. Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse tabled the motion supported by 291 lawmakers, majority of whom are Ruto’s and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s allies.

Ruto’s silence as his deputy walks on quicksand gives the impression that he endorses the ouster bid. Gachagua believes that to be the case, recently saying no impeachment motion against him would succeed without the President’s nod.

“There is no motion of impeachment against the deputy president that can find itself on the floor of the House unless the President gives a nod. Nobody else has the capacity to push it apart from the President,” the beleaguered DP said recently.

Over the weeks, justification for believing that Ruto was behind his woes was the Head of State’s silence at events where allies would tear at Gachagua. Ruto was to hold a parliamentary group meeting of his Kenya Kwanza Alliance ahead of the tabling of the impeachment motion on Tuesday, but such plans were shelved.

There was speculation that the president could use the meeting to dissuade them against the motion.

We have also learned that Ruto also kept off the matter as he would appear to be the sponsor of the motion had MPs gone ahead with it after meeting him. On Monday, National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro denied reports of a meeting between Ruto and lawmakers. He said MPs would have defied the President if he insisted on saving Gachagua.

“We respect the president, but on this one, it will take a miracle to convince the over 300 MPs that demand for a NATIONAL DEPUTY PRESIDENT. If he requests us otherwise, then we will request him to accept our proposal to have 40 other DPs speak for other tribes that feel left out. We advice the president to KEEP OFF on this and let MPs do their job. Gachagua must go,” Osoro had said.

Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge had also told The Standard that this was an initiative of lawmakers. Indeed, MPs have steered the impeachment debate, taking on Gachagua on public platforms.

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, a Ruto ally, last week said the impeachment matter would be over in two weeks. Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss and Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa had threatened to table the motion.

But political risk analyst Dismas Mokua believes the President is not powerless against the MPs and can save his deputy.

“President Ruto has political capital to save Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from impeachment. As Head of State and Government, he has immense national influence as well as an agile grassroots relationship infrastructure whose cumulative impact is political capital that he can deploy at pleasure,” said Mokua, who also acknowledged the pressure from MPs to have Gachagua ousted and the combativeness of the DP even amid his struggles. “The probability of President Ruto deploying his political capital to save DP Gachagua has been compromised because DP Gachagua has not demonstrated interest in aligning with Article 147 of the Constitution and has been issuing statements that fall in the threats and blackmail matrix. President Ruto may also be reluctant to upset Members of the National Assembly and Senators who have taken the bold decision to send DP packing,” added Mokua.

It is unlikely that Ruto will save Gachagua given the latter’s recent criticism of his boss. The DP has escalated public appearances, holding rallies in which he blackmailed Ruto against pushing the ouster bid. He termed the move “betrayal”, saying it would have repercussions from among Mt Kenya’s voters. 

Gachagua has also had three media interviews, revealing differences between him and the President that paint an image of an irreparable relationship. The pair has had frequent exchanges, which include a recent one at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The altercations, according to DP, also involve Ruto’s handlers and allies, who Gachagua has said have no regard for him. The DP faces some 11 charges, which include allegations of gross violation of the Constitution, allegedly committing economic crimes and gross misconduct.