In a fiery and emotionally charged address during a funeral service in Bomet on Saturday, ODM party leader Raila Odinga launched a stinging critique of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, dismissing him as unfit to lead Kenya out of its deepening crisis.
Odinga, Kenya’s longtime opposition figure and former Prime Minister, challenged the growing political sentiment that Gachagua could become a viable alternative to President William Ruto.
“Even if you make Rigathi Gachagua the next president, there is no big difference he will bring to this country. We need to do things afresh,” Raila declared, drawing a loud reaction from the crowd.
The veteran opposition leader lamented that Gachagua’s tenure as the country’s second Deputy President failed to demonstrate leadership capacity or vision, making him an unlikely candidate to steer Kenya toward real change.
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According to Raila, replacing Ruto with Gachagua is merely “recycling” leadership that has already failed.
Speaking to the nation’s ongoing economic turmoil, youth unrest, and political tension, Raila offered a broader solution: unity, dialogue, and structural reform.
“The current challenges facing the nation cannot be solved by one person. It requires collective input from every Kenyan,” he emphasized.
He expressed sympathy for the youth-driven protests rocking the country but warned against rogue elements infiltrating the demonstrations to loot and destroy property.
“We support the youth, but not the destruction of our nation,” Raila cautioned, underlining the need for peaceful and organized activism.
Rejecting the popular protest slogan ‘Ruto Must Go’, Odinga urged Kenyans to look beyond personalities and focus on systemic issues.
“Protests and chants of ‘Ruto Must Go’ will not solve the problems. Even if Ruto leaves office, it will not solve the challenges,” he stated. Instead, he called for a national dialogue to address constitutional gaps and governance failures, saying, “Now is the right time for us to hold a national conversation.”
Raila’s remarks come on the heels of Deputy President Gachagua’s counter-attack during a speech in the United States, where he dismissed Odinga’s proposal for national dialogue as hypocritical and ineffective.
“Raila is irrelevant in the political discourse because every election cycle, he loses and finds his way into government. He wants to be in government but doesn’t want responsibility,” Gachagua said, branding Odinga as “opportunistic.”
This escalating war of words underscores the political storm brewing in Kenya, as citizens grow increasingly disillusioned with the current leadership.
Raila’s message resonates with many who believe Kenya needs a reset, not just a change in faces, but a reinvention of the political system itself.
