Gachagua to Mt Kenya: Abandon Ruto, embrace my new party
Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua speaks to the media at the home of former Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala in Kakamega County on December 29, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Mr Gachagua lamented that Mt Kenya went to 2022 polls without their own political party and that is why they are suffering now.
- He also hit out at Mt Kenya MPs who supported his impeachment, saying they will face the wrath of voters in the 2027 polls.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called on Mt Kenya to abandon President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and be ready to embrace his new political outfit to be unveiled in May.
Mr Gachagua dismissed the UDA as a retrogressive political formation responsible for the problems Mt Kenya residents are currently facing.
"The UDA is a house full of problems, it operates on lies and our people should dump it," Mr Gachagua said in a phone call broadcast live to mourners in Kinyakiiru village, Kirinyaga County.
Mr Gachagua spoke during an emotional funeral for three teenagers, including a Form Three student, who died in a gruesome road accident in the region.
He told the residents not to worry, promising them that his newly found political party will redeem them from the chains of oppression.
"UDA is the cause of all the problems that our people are facing, because of UDA road projects in the region have halted while the Social Health Insurance Fund ( SHIF) is not working.Our university students are at home because they don't have school fees," Mr Gachagua said amid loud applause.
He lamented that Mt Kenya went to 2022 polls without their own political party and that is why they are suffering now.
"We should avoid repeating the same mistake, we must make sure we don't fall into the same pit," said Mr Gachagua.
He also hit out at Mt Kenya MPs who supported his impeachment, saying they will face the wrath of voters in the 2027 polls.
Mr Gachagua dismissed the MPs as “traitors who have no business leading.”
"The MPs betrayed our region because of their stomachs and the residents are very annoyed, they will definitely face the axe during the next polls," he said.
Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango and Woman Representative Njeri Maina as well as Baragwi ward MCA David Mathenge echoed Mr Gachagua's sentiments.
They said never again will Mt Kenya be taken for a ride.
"We have been mistreated because we don't have a political party, we are looking upon Mr Gachagua to give us the right political direction," said Mr Murango.
The trio who are allied to Mr Gachagua said traitors from the region should be ready for the worst.
"Those who betrayed us and impeached Mr Gachagua will be shown the exit in 2027 polls, voters will not spare traitors," said Ms Maina.
The three teenagers including a Form Three student died in the same day in a grisly road accident in Kirinyaga county.
And the teenagers who were close friends and from the same village were buried on the same day in a sorrowful funeral which brought together learners, teachers, villagers and political leaders.
On Friday, a cloud of sorrow hovered over Kinyakiiru village in Ndia Constituency as the coffins containing the bodies of the young ones were being lowered to the graves.
Relatives broke down and wept during the emotional send off and they had to be assisted away by mourners.
Speaker after speaker including Mr Gachagua eulogised the teenagers as gifted footballers whose life had been cut short by an accident which could have been avoided.
"The children were talented but sadly they lost their lives through an accident, my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families," said Mr Murango.
Ms Maina said she was touched when she heard about the deaths of the teenagers who had good dreams about their life.
"We stand with the bereaved families during this trying moment," said Ms Maina.
The leaders called on traffic officers to enforce traffic rules properly to avoid such fatal incidents.
"Traffic officers should carry out their duties well, we don't want someone else to die in our region through road accidents," said Mr Mathenge.
On March 7, the trio died when a motorcycle they were riding on collided with a lorry along the Sagana-Nyeri road in Kirinyaga county.
Witnesses said the children aged between fifteen and seventeen years were heading towards Karatina from Sagana when they were crashed by a lorry.
They suffered multiple fractures in their bodies and rushed to Karatina hospital where they died as they being treated.
The children have been identified as Alex Muriithi, John Mugo Kinyua and David Mutero Muchiri.
According to the relatives Muriithi and Muchiri completed their secondary education last year and were set to join college while Kinyua was in Form Three. Their lives were cut short before achieving their academic dreams.
Kirinyaga West Sub-County police boss Mr Moses Koskei said investigations have been launched to establish the actual circumstances under which the accident which caused a major traffic snarl-up in the area took place.
He said it was unfortunate that young lives had been lost through an accident which could have been avoided.
"We have commenced investigations so that we can know the truth of the matter," he said.
However Mr Koskei advised motorists and boda boda riders to be careful when plying through the route to avoid such fatal accidents.
The accident comes barely after another one in which three school children perished at Gatugura area in Gichugu Constituency after a motorcycle they were riding on collided with a lorry.
Two of the children were in Grade 9 while the other one was in Form Two. They were buried last week in a sorrowful funeral at Kairegi village.