Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has intensified his public criticism of President William Ruto, alleging that the head of state has authorized the purchase of executive aircraft while Kenyan farmers struggle to find markets for their produce.
Speaking Sunday during a church service in Kirinyaga County, Gachagua claimed that a government delegation had been dispatched to Vietnam to buy “two executive jets and eight helicopters.”
“As we speak, William Ruto has sent a team to Vietnam of officers from the military and office of the president to purchase two executive jets and eight helicopters,” Gachagua told the congregation.
“This will cost Kenyans more than Ksh70 billion.”
He also accused the government of corruption in the health sector, saying the new Social Health Authority (SHA) is riddled with scandals.
He alleged that senior officials, including Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and President Ruto, were benefiting from procurement deals in public hospitals.
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“SHA is a scam,” he said. “Duale and Ruto have purchased machines for hospitals that collect 90% of the proceeds.”
Gachagua on Why Rice is Rotting in Mwea
Gachagua said that rice farmers in Mwea have been neglected while the government facilitates large-scale imports.
“The people of Mwea have rice in the store that they don’t have a market for,” he said. “The leaders of Mwea have betrayed their people. They have allowed the importation of five million tonnes of rice while our farmers suffer.”
Gachagua also claimed that President Ruto’s business partners in Eastleigh, Nairobi, were directly involved in the rice import trade, undercutting local farmers and depressing prices.
“Ruto has a business partner in Eastleigh,” he alleged. “These are the people bringing in rice while Mwea farmers’ produce rots in warehouses.”
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He further accused the president of fueling ethnic divisions, alleging that Ruto had reached out to former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi in a move to consolidate Kalenjin leaders politically.
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“Ruto called Gideon Moi; he is collecting Kalenjins to plan a war with Mt. Kenya,” Gachagua claimed. “When he unites Kalenjins, it’s called unity. But when I unite Mt. Kenya, they call it tribal.”
Declaring that the country is “at a crossroads,” Gachagua urged the Mt. Kenya community to stay united despite what he described as efforts by the president to divide them.
“The people Ruto is using to divide us are our own people,” he warned.
This marks an escalation in the widening rift between the two leaders, whose alliance helped deliver the Kenya Kwanza coalition to power in 2022.
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