Rigathi Gachagua in yet another tiff over military chopper

When Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua landed in Nanyuki for KDF Day celebrations on October 14, 2022, in a military chopper. [DPCS]

Claims of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua being denied a military chopper to Masinde Muliro Stadium in Bungoma, the venue of the 61st Madaraka Day celebrations, has  further fueled speculation of fallout with President William Ruto.

Gachagua’s allies claimed that this is the third time the second in command has been denied military and police aircraft.

According to sources, the DP was informed that he could not use the military chopper ‘due to bad weather’ forcing him to hire a commercial plane that took him to Bungoma and later to Nanyuki where he was presiding over the Kikuyu oldies music extravaganza.

“This was the third time, the Deputy President was being mistreated, on Monday last week, he had been assigned by the President to fly to Bungoma for the exhibition in preparation ahead of Madaraka celebrations where he was scheduled to use the same fixed wing he used while in Eldoret on Saturday and Sunday and was scheduled to fly him from Embakasi to Webuye Airstrip. All authorisations were in place by Sunday night however, on Monday, May 27 the DP was informed the authorisation had been withdrawn,” a source who is not authorised to address the media told The Standard.

Gachagua had used the military chopper in his Rift Valley tour on May 26 in Kesses constituency where he claimed that a section of regional leaders with proximity to the President were interfering with Mt Kenya region politics.

The first time that the DP failed to access a military chopper was on May 10 during the National Tree Planting Day when he was assigned by the President to oversee the exercise in Uasin Gishu County. The development forced him to retreat to his Mathira home for self-reflection before he emerged to push for a one-man one-vote one-shilling revenue-sharing formula, which has caused ripples in government.

Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale while admitting that Gachagua "did not pass through our military VIP" in Bungoma during the Madaraka Day celebrations said upon inquiry he was informed that Gachagua’s office had not made any request for the military chopper.

“When Gachagua failed to pass through our military VIP section I got concerned and enquired and I was informed that the military had not received any request from the office of the Deputy President. As protocol dictates a letter from the office of the Deputy President is written to the Head of Public Service and copied to us (the Defense) but this did not happen,” he said.

“We have lots of respect to the office of the Deputy President and we always provide the chopper during the national mandate and national events and we are ready to always provide air assets to him when we receive such a request, anybody claiming that we denied him access should provide evidence,” the Defense CS told The Standard on phone.

On the other two incidents, Duale said he was not in a position as he needed to check records to confirm whether a request was made. "I only enquired on the Madaraka Day celebrations after I noticed Gachagua did not pass through the military VIP section," he said.

But Duale’s admission that it was not automatic for leaders to be allowed to use military choppers could raise questions.

“Anybody who wants to use our air assets will do so through the normal channel. The Department of Defense (DOD) will assess the request based on availability and will then communicate to address the request. KDF be it Kenya army, air force and navy assets are procured, maintained and serviced solely for use to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation and deter any external threat,” he said.

However, the confusion which may further deepen the perceived animosity between the President and his deputy comes a few days after Duale in an interview with Citizen TV announced that military helicopters will no longer be available for use by politicians.

"We have a policy; we are not going to carry politicians anymore. Helicopters are meant for specific functions within KDF, they are part of our assets in safeguarding the country," he said.

The CS further stressed that military resources, including helicopters, will now be strictly reserved for essential military duties. These duties include transporting troops and conducting critical operations, ensuring that KDF assets are utilised solely for their intended purposes.

"They are part and parcel of the assets we have in safeguarding the country. They carry our troops, go to operations so not only helicopters but all our assets, going forward,” Duale said, adding, "when I'm going for an operation, I'll use military assets, even my colleague CS for Interior, if he's going to the North Rift or a place that is not secure, he will also use our assets.”

However, Gachagua’s allies have wondered whether he (Gachagua) should be classified as a politician or part of the presidency.

“It should be clear whether Gachagua is a politician or presidency and whether there is a scheme to undermine Gachagua the way the President was isolated when he was the second in command,” Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga said.

On August 28, 2020, reports emerged that Ruto, then Deputy President, was denied a military chopper to fly to Mombasa and on August 3, 2021, his office announced that he (Ruto) was stopped from travelling to Uganda.

“A time has come when the President should pronounce himself over the matter so that we may understand whether there are some people who want to use the name of the President to create a wedge between him and Gachagua,” Embakasi North MP James Gakuya said.