“They Knew Him!”: Gachagua Drops Bombshell on Rift Valley’s Silent Rejection of Ruto in 2022 as 2027 Tensions Soar

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has set political tongues wagging again, this time with a stunning revelation about the 2022 presidential election, specifically, the Kikuyu community’s silent rejection of William Ruto in the Rift Valley.  

Speaking candidly during a recent address in the United States, Gachagua opened up about the chilling silence he met while campaigning for Ruto in regions like Njoro, Molo, Burnt Forest, and Kitale. His words now seem like a coded reflection of betrayal, regret, and a deep political fracture. 

“When I went to campaign for Ruto in Njoro, people just looked at me. I spoke to them, they didn’t clap, boo, or say anything,” Gachagua recalled. “The Mt Kenya people in Molo, Njoro, Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia did not vote for William Ruto.” 

He further recounted a powerful exchange with a local resident that still haunts him: 

“One person asked me, ‘Do you really know this man?’ I said yes. He asked, ‘Have you ever lived with him?’ I said no. Then he just said, ‘Okay.’” 

According to Gachagua, despite multiple visits, nine to Njoro alone, the Kikuyu community in Rift Valley silently rejected Ruto at the ballot box.  

“What they knew then is what I know now,” he said, suggesting that the community foresaw what he only came to understand after falling out with the President. 

Since his impeachment in October 2024, Gachagua has become one of Ruto’s fiercest critics. As the leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), he has been unapologetically vocal about what he terms the President’s “poor governance” and “betrayal” of the Mt Kenya region. He now joins the opposition in rallying Kenyans to deny Ruto a second term. 

Despite Gachagua’s allegations, the official numbers from the 2022 General Election paint a different picture. William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) secured 7,176,141 votes, 50.42% of the total, clearing the 50%+1 hurdle required to win the presidency in the first round.  

His campaign managed to clinch at least 25% of the vote in 39 counties, far surpassing the 24-county threshold. 

But Gachagua insists that it was the Mt Kenya vote that made the difference, and that his presence on the ticket was crucial.  

In an earlier rally before his impeachment, he warned that Ruto would not have won without his influence in the region and urged the president to respect the Mt Kenya electorate who, he says, delivered his presidency. 

Now, with 2027 on the horizon, the battle for Mt Kenya is heating up. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has publicly vowed to win back the region for Ruto.  

But political analysts like Javas Bigambo believe Kindiki faces an uphill task: “He lacks the political muscle to wrestle Mt Kenya from Gachagua, who has become the region’s kingpin after his impeachment.” 

In a surprising twist, reports have emerged suggesting that President Ruto may be reaching out to his former boss and Mt Kenya native, Uhuru Kenyatta, to help reclaim the elusive mountain vote. 

The question now hanging in the air is loud and clear: Can Ruto survive without Mt Kenya in 2027 or will Gachagua’s silent warning from Njoro become the prophecy that ends his presidency?