Why Rigathi has changed tune on Uhuru

Former Deputy President and DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua during a political rally at Mulu Mutisya grounds in Machakos town, on May 30, 2025. [John Muia, Standard]

Former DP Rigathi Gachagua appears to have shifted his tone on former President Uhuru Kenyatta, just months after strongly defending him against criticism from allies of President William Ruto.

During an interview with KTN News following the recent Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference, Gachagua said Mr Kenyatta is now a retired president who should be allowed to enjoy his retirement peacefully. 

His remarks marked a notable departure from his earlier stance, when he had positioned himself as Uhuru’s defender in the Mt. Kenya region.

“President Uhuru Kenyatta, the fourth president of the Republic of Kenya, is a retired statesman who has completed his constitutional mandate and cannot seek the presidency again. Our paths are therefore different. While he has transitioned into retirement. I am actively serving and preparing to offer myself for leadership in the future. There can be no conflict between us because our ambitions do not collide — he has already done his part, and I am focused on charting my own path toward leading this nation," he said. 

In the past, Gachagua had publicly warned leaders allied to President Ruto against attacking the former Head of State, describing Uhuru as “one of our own” and “a respected elder.”

“Uhuru Kenyatta is one of our own. It is my responsibility to ensure that no one from the mountain is insulted under my watch,” Gachagua had declared at a political event earlier this year at his residence in Wamunyoro.

When former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addressed a rally in Kiserian on March 27, 2025. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Despite his political fallout with Uhuru during the 2022 election campaigns, Gachagua had insisted that respect must be maintained for the former president.

“If you come here and insult Uhuru again, I will instruct the women to shout you down," he said.

However, in his latest remarks, Gachagua seemed to suggest that Uhuru’s active political role—especially his involvement in Jubilee Party matters—should come to an end. 

Gachagua’s statement that “Uhuru is retired” has reignited the question of who will now offer political direction in Mt. Kenya, a region long seen as the heartbeat of national politics.

Gachagua admitted that it was a mistake for the Mt Kenya region to rally behind President William Ruto in the 2022 General Election. He said the decision had cost the region its political bargaining power and unity.  

“It was wrong for our people in the mountain to vote for President Ruto,” he said, adding that this realization inspired him to form the Democratic Congress Party (DCP) — a political vehicle he says is dedicated to restoring Mt. Kenya’s voice and advancing the interests of all Kenyans.

With  Jubilee’s reorganization under Uhuru’s allies and Gachagua asserting himself as the region’s senior-most active leader in government, the contest for Mt. Kenya’s political soul appears to be shifting — from the legacy of a retired president to the ambitions of Gachagua keen to shape the mountain’s next chapter.

Political analysts say Gachagua’s change in tone signals a realignment within the Kenya Kwanza administration, as he seeks to consolidate his authority as the region’s political kingpin.

“By distancing himself from Uhuru’s continued engagement in party politics, Gachagua is trying to reinforce his own influence while appealing to a broader base that wants to move past the 2022 political divisions,” said Steve Nderi a political analyst in Nyeri.