Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
In the cut-throat political arena, Geoffrey Rigathi Gachagua, 58, is anything but subdued. If he is to fall, it will not be with a whimper, but with a resounding clamour. Gachagua has navigated the labyrinth of Kenyan politics, where power and intrigue intertwine, and his life has been nothing short of tumultuous. His tongue, sharp and relentless, is his motor, driving him through controversies and confrontations, never one to shy away from a fight. For Gachagua, silence is not an option, and retreat is a foreign concept.
In William Ruto, Gachagua has met his match, a formidable counterpart equally unyielding and fiercely ambitious. Two bulls in the paddock, each sizing the other up, neither willing to bow or surrender. Theirs is not a dance of diplomacy but a collision of egos, where silence is weakness and retreat, unthinkable. Both men have clawed their way through the thickets of power, navigating betrayals and alliances with razor-sharp instincts. Having reached the zenith of power, their clash is not just inevitable, it is imminent.
Gachagua’s misstep was a singular one, yet monumental. He sought to carve out a powerbase in a territory where President Ruto had already crowned himself the unchallenged kingpin. In the shadows of Mt Kenya, where loyalty to Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) pulsed like lifeblood, Gachagua’s presence seemed almost incidental. For even without his efforts, the hearts and minds of the region’s people were already Ruto’s to claim.
Gachagua knew this truth well. Yet, in a bold gambit, he positioned himself after Ruto’s victory as the gatekeeper, believing Ruto’s path to Mt Kenya should wind through him. But this move, far from securing his influence, appears to have unravelled spectacularly, like a miscalculated stroke in a game where the rules had long been set. Those who asked him to slow down were arrogantly dismissed, and soon he found himself isolated from the political elites and the “hustlers” that UDA had brought to politics.
Gen Z protests
Gachagua meticulously built his Mt Kenya image by insulting Opposition leader Raila Odinga and former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He was brutal and spared no words. Mama Ngina Kenyatta was not spared either. Even after clinching victory, he kept the fires of Railaphobia burning bright, gleefully assuring his followers that he had laid traps at State House, and Raila would never set foot near the throne of power. But then, fate played its hand.
After a storm of the Gen Z protests, Ruto and Raila found themselves in Uganda, meeting behind closed doors. When they emerged, it seemed the winds had shifted, with both leaders appearing to have mended their political fences. Gachagua, once the proud architect of division, now found himself holding the short end of the stick. Ruto and Raila, former foes, were now walking hand-in-hand, leaving Gachagua in the shadows of a friendship he never saw coming. Soon, Gachagua found himself slowly drifting from the inner circles of power, no longer privy to the president’s closely guarded itinerary. The final blow came when he was quietly blocked from the State House WhatsApp group, an unceremonious exile from the corridors of influence. Gachagua’s reign was coming to an abrupt end.
Faced with his political twilight, Gachagua sought to reinvent himself. He began crafting an alter ego as the “truthful man”, a stark contrast to President Ruto who had, by then, earned the unflattering moniker of a “liar” for his cascade of broken promises. Gachagua harbours the conviction that Ruto is the mastermind behind his impeachment plot, a scheme that, if successful, would see the former Mathira MP retreating to the quiet hills of Hiriga village in Nyeri. But Ruto, ever the strategist, knows full well that if Gachagua weathers this storm, he’ll stir up a whirlwind within UDA, reshuffle alliances, and whip up enough political mayhem to send Ruto retreating to the farmlands of Sugoi.
Ethnic stronghold
Much like Jaramogi Oginga Odinga after his infamous split with Jomo Kenyatta, Gachagua has retreated to the heart of his ethnic stronghold, where he’s busily stoking the flames of ethnic pride and crafting a new Mt Kenya identity.
For both sides, this high-stakes duel is a test of endurance, wits, and strategy, set in a political arena where only the most resilient survive. Both men have weathered storms and navigated treacherous waters to claim their place at the top. Now, with no higher ground to ascend, the battle for supremacy intensifies, each manoeuvre calculated, every word a weapon.
Three decades ago, as chairman of the Literature Students Association, the DP found himself embroiled in controversy over donations President Moi bestowed after Gachagua organised a visit to Kabarnet Gardens. By then, his ties with Nyeri’s political elite were already well-established and, alongside Ruto, Gachagua was part of the pro-Nyayo student faction, known for its loyalty to the regime.
Both were rumoured to spy on radical students like Miguna Miguna and Wafula Buke, in exchange for cushy rewards, Gachagua’s prize being his swift appointment as a District Officer upon graduation, solidifying his place within the corridors of power.
But Gachagua was not the only one in his family whose name echoed through the halls of influence, and at times, controversy. His late brother Nderitu Gachagua — the man he claims to hold wealth for — was far more infamous, weaving his legacy through the murky alleys of sleaze. His name often surfaced in Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) reports, with one particularly damning episode tied to his time at the National Housing Corporation (NHC). It was alleged that Nderitu had concocted a dubious scheme where NHC properties in Nairobi’s Lower Hill area were sold.
As Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o once told the House, as captured in the Hansard — “Mr James Nderitu Gachagua, an employee of the corporation, made a deal with the corporation to transform himself into a consultancy to buy public property at throwaway prices in exchange for what he called his consultancy… thereby sadly defrauding the Exchequer of Sh52 million.” Nyong’o further elaborated that “the corporation wanted to establish a revolving fund which would be beneficial to the Corporation’s workers, a fund that would be used within the Corporation for various projects, including loaning money to its own workers. This had an economic and social welfare aspect to it. Now, this very good project was derailed because a certain James Nderitu Gachagua and the officers of the corporation, who, on seeing money that was to be used for a very good welfare social enterprise, created a consultancy… fictitious consultancy firm called Jaggar Consultancy… as a result, the corporation flouted financial regulations with the full knowledge of the then Managing Director Eric Andwati.”
The PAC, fully aware of the magnitude of the scandal, called for the prosecution of Nderitu Gachagua and Andwati, insisting on the annulment of the dubious sale of National Housing Corporation properties in Nairobi’s Lower Hill.
Murky dealings
Jaggar, a key player in the murky dealings, had previously engaged in similar underhanded ventures with the National Social Security Fund, another den of corruption. It was within these circles of shadowy transactions that Nderitu Gachagua amassed his fortune, and where his brother Rigathi Gachagua mastered the art of tenderpreneurship. Like so many of Kenya’s wealthy elites, the Gachaguas carved their riches from lucrative government contracts, solidifying their place among the nation’s upper echelons of power and wealth.
It was only after Nderitu set his sights on the Nyeri governor’s seat that Rigathi Gachagua smoothly slid into the Mathira parliamentary role, stepping into the shoes of his predecessor.
Before his political ascent, Rigathi and his wife, Dorcas, had been meticulously weaving the fabric of their empire under the banner of Wamunyoro Investment. Together, they cultivated a sprawling business portfolio, and with each new venture, their fortunes swelled, propelling them into the rarefied circle of billionaires.
So, when Gachagua modestly declared his net worth at Sh800 million, eyebrows arched in disbelief, whispers trailing that he had only scratched the surface of his true wealth. Soon after, the murmurs grew louder as his claim to a prized piece of Nairobi land, valued at Sh1.4 billion, added yet another layer to his ever-expanding narrative of opulence. Recently cornered on his billions, and latest investments, Gachagua told Parliament that the properties listed belong to his late brother, Nderitu. Dead men tell no tales.
Gachagua fashions himself as the proud “son of Mau Mau,” draping his identity in the legacy of defiance and resilience. Yet, in recent times, he has adopted a more contrite tone, as though sensing the shifting winds. His apologies, however, seem to have come too late, for he has trodden on too many toes along the way. Now, he stands somewhat isolated, with only those who understand the crushing weight of the state’s wrath willing to offer him sympathy. It’s as if he’s walking a tightrope, knowing full well that if the hammer of power falls upon him, it may strike with unforgiving force. If Mt Kenya stays with him, it is only to save their son from the State. They did it before when they rescued Uhuru Kenyatta from the ICC.
@johnkamau
