Gachagua didn't learn a thing from boss as he claims

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua arrives in Embu for the 34th ACK Diocesan Anniversary at Kigari Teachers Training College on October 13, 2024. [Murithi Mugo, Standard]

In his defence, as he faced impeachment proceedings, now at the Senate, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claims to have been a good student of his boss, President William Ruto.

Gachagua even went to the extent of drawing parallels in his shareholding beliefs with the sentiments and actions of President Ruto. While on the surface it may look like the two were political twins, facts prove otherwise.

In politics, timing is very important. Differences between Ruto and his boss, Uhuru Kenyatta, never played out in public in their first two years in power, as has been the case here — not even in the first term. Other than a few people for appointments in various positions, Ruto did not even brag to be Rift Valley King, though by default.

He took his time to study his boss, Uhuru, while coyly working on his grand plan. His first major task was to make sure he has enough foot soldiers in Parliament. That’s how, slowly by slowly, he started to pull the rag from under Uhuru’s feet, and by 2022, he had a whole choir without Uhuru’s influence.

In the excitement of his meteoric rise, Gachagua ignored biblical wisdom in the book of Matthew when Jesus asked his disciples to be as wise as serpents. Serpents do not announce their presence whenever they move into a new territory. They will blend and lie low as they ascertain safety of their surroundings. They will also make sure the area has enough prey for their sustenance.

The first sign of the kind of DP Gachagua would be was in his inauguration speech at Kasarani. Even in the presence of guests and the outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, Gachagua found it hard to withhold his vitriol. He was too abrasive and bitter. That is how he started to coin his moniker as the truthful man.

However, Gachagua needed to do more than just being truthful. Having gone from near obscurity to being the second most powerful man, he should have known that his enemies also doubled.

Ruto spent a great deal of finances to woo the mountain through fundraising and supporting young and emerging leaders. This is what he needed to do in Mt Kenya and outside.

The other factor that should have guided Gachagua in his political approach is the tiny margin with which Kenya Kwanza rode into power. The government needed to appeal more to those who never voted for it than to those who did. That is why it was wrong to introduce shareholding in political parlance.

However, all that is for politics’ sake. For leadership’s sake, Gachagua scored poorly. The Deputy President is the President in waiting and must offer hope to every Kenyan, every tribe and every region.

Gachagua seemed to only find comfort in addressing Mt Kenya issues. Even that he did by antagonising other leaders from the same region. Gachagua made his bed, and he is simply paying for his errors of omission and commission.

-The writer is a communications consultant. [e-mail]