Why Gachagua's impeachment could leave President exposed

President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at a past function. [File, Standard]

Nicollo Machiavelli was apt when he said, “If a prince bases the defence of his state on mercenaries, he will never achieve stability or security.” Those who read to the end will connect the dots in my deduction that if Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment goes through, President Ruto will have a weak political firewall. Why do I say so?

President Mwai Kibaki’s government was shaken when Kijana Wamalwa died on August 23, 2003, barely a year after Kibaki took over government from Moi.

It is reported that young and ambitious politicians lined their interests for the vacancy. Kibaki called his close confidants and requested that a man be sought who is advanced in age (mature) and with no presidential ambitions.

It was then that Moody Arthur Awori was presented and true to Kibaki’s wish, “Uncle Moody” stuck no leg out of the plane as the Vice President during Kibaki’s first term.

The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible says, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

This wisdom is also true in politics. There is a reason President Ruto chose Rigathi Gachagua as his DP and later purportedly supported his deputy's impeachment.

In the run-up to the 2022 General Election, I suggested that Ruto consciously or unconsciously selected Gachagua as his deputy to settle some political scores.

First, he wanted a deputy whose image he hated to see when he (Ruto) looked in the mirror. He could not imagine repeating the same mistake that his boss, Uhuru Kenyatta, made by choosing an ambitious deputy.

Secondly, Ruto wanted a person who, according to his assessment, was not presidential material. He envisioned a deputy who he could treat as a weaker political vessel.

Thirdly, Ruto needed to partner with a person who had been with Uhuru Kenyatta since the early 2000s, when the late Mzee Moi baptised Uhuru into politics. No other politician was more qualified than Brother Geoffrey when William cast his political lot.

Was Ruto right or wrong? I am still determining that. What Political Chessboard has evidence of, as of today, is that Gachagua has shown his boss teeth. President Ruto has taken Gachagua seriously. He is like a father who believes that if a son points a toy gun at them, they would still do the same with a real gun.

The second part of Gachagua’s impeachment abracadabra is that the legislators have varying reasons for removing the deputy president. Undoubtedly, their interests and those of the President are as far from each other as heaven is from the earth.

The majority of Murima politicians are unconsciously trying to eliminate Gachagua so that they create a lacuna in the Mount Kenya region’s political linchpin. They hope that the ball will be in the air for anyone to catch once he is out of the way. That is why they steered clear of active roles in the impeachment circus.

It is the same reason Ndindi Nyoro has chosen to pursue the same goal through association—he knows that by supporting Gachagua, people can easily crown him as ‘Murima’ envoy. As a professional investor, Ndindi is using the concept of investing in high-risk plans for high political returns.

Therefore, whether they support or oppose Gachagua, all Mount Kenya region politicians are fighting for the same thing—in different ways.

In addition, Mount Kenya politicians are setting up Kalonzo Musyoka by having a Kamba move Gachagua’s impeachment motion. Later, this will be used against Kalonzo—he will be said to have had his people participate in the removal of ‘Murima's son'.

The legislators from Rift Valley are cushioning their 'brother' from humiliation. Period.

Finally, the opposition legislators have a unique interest. They see the DP as a firewall that they must collapse first to access their arch-target, the President.

Their decisive goal is to conquer since they are technically the government in waiting. They will ultimately desire to impeach the President either directly or through proxies. But do they say?

Dr Ndonye is a senior lecturer at Kabarak University’s Department of Mass Communication