Kenya’s embattled Vice President Rigathi Gachagua calls himself the ‘truthful man’ and attributes his remarkable rise to speaking truth to power.
But now that he is facing impeachment proceedings, he says these problems are also a result of his outspoken nature.
Before he was elected MP in 2017, little was known about the man who would become Kenya’s second-in-command within five years.
Not many people outside Gachagua’s constituency in central Kenya had heard of him or his political style.
Gachagua was in the spotlight ahead of the 2022 elections when he strongly opposed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s choice for his preferred successor.
Kenyatta campaigned heavily for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
But Gachagua aligned himself with William Ruto, Kenyatta’s then deputy, who was gunning for the presidency his boss did not want to leave to him.
At political rallies and in media circles, Gachagua railed against Kenyatta, often using words that other politicians would find ridiculous.
“Don’t kill me like your father killed JM Kariuki,” he said at a rally in July 2022, referring to a member of parliament who was assassinated in 1975 during Jomo Kenyatta’s rulethe country’s first president and father of Uhuru Kenyatta.
To this day, no one has been found guilty of Kariuki’s death.
Before he became Vice President of Kenya, police raided Gachagua’s home and arrested him in connection with a corruption and money laundering case. The charges were dropped after he and Ruto took power after the 2022 elections.
He had helped Ruto win by building support in Mount Kenya – the country’s largest voting bloc. Both Gachagua and Kenyatta are from there. Kenyatta had tried to rally Mount Kenya voters to rally behind Odinga, but failed.
Long before Kenyatta became president in 2013, Gachagua had worked closely with him, including as his personal assistant for five years.
But after working with Ruto, Gachagua went from Kenyatta’s “confidant” to one of his fiercest critics.
However, since the fallout with his current boss, Gachagua has apologized to Kenyatta, saying it was “foolish” of him to “fight with my own brother.”
This humility is in stark contrast to his rhetoric as Ruto’s running mate – analyst Javas Bigamo had even described Gachagua as a “dreaded political bulldog that Ruto needed to counter President Kenyatta in the central region”.
Gachagua was praised as an excellent mobilizer who had the ear of ordinary people on the ground.
Still, he was probably not the person many expected to take the deputy position, as Gachagua had only been a politician for five years and faced more seasoned candidates.
Ruto explained that he chose Gachagua because “he is one of those leaders who are passionate about ordinary people”.
Political pundit Bobby Mkangi previously told the BBC that Gachagua’s ability to muscle his way to the top “considering other names that were prominent and nationally known” was “quite something”.
But just two years after coming to power, that ability appears to have disappeared — leaving Gachagua at odds with the president and in a position where many lawmakers are calling for his resignation.
He is accused of corruption, money laundering, gross misconduct, insubordination and bullying of public officials and six other acts of misconduct.
While the motion was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the MP who introduced the motion, Mwengi Mutuse, said 291 out of 349 MPs had signed the document calling for Gachagua’s removal.
To depose him, the signatures of two-thirds (or 233) of all parliamentarians are needed.
Mkangi now says the vice president “has not been able to consolidate the support of his base and the politicians around him”.
Gachagua has always been accused of being brash and aggressive – it was one of the reasons why some argued against his selection as running mate before the 2022 elections. But in recent months this criticism has increased.
He denies this assessment of his character, along with claims that he is alienating his fellow politicians.
He says all he does is “speak the truth,” which he says has made him unpopular within certain political factions.
“I will not compromise my principles,” he said this weekend as calls for his ouster came to a head.
Gachagua has often identified herself as a child of the Mau Mau freedom fighters, who fought against British colonial rule.
He was born in 1965 to parents who he said were known for their involvement in the fight for freedom. His father built and maintained weapons and his mother was a courier of ammunition and food for the fighters, Gachagua said.
His heritage has portrayed him as a champion of the people of central Kenya, many of whom are descendants of icons of the independence struggle but still continue to fight for economic freedom.
A popular slogan associated with the vice president is “don’t touch the mountain”, a reference to his support base in the Mount Kenya region. However, he has also been accused of promoting tribalism rather than being a unifying figure.
But Gachagua has defended himself, insisting that speaking on behalf of the central Kenya region is not the same as antagonizing other communities.
Before entering politics, Gachagua had a long career.
After studying at university, he started working as a public administrator in the government and as a district official in various locations in the country.
The district administrators of that time, during the presidency of Daniel arap Moi, were known for their stubbornness. It is an accusation that has stayed with him, even in the current circumstances.
He worked as Kenyatta’s personal assistant between 2001 and 2006 – at a time when Kenyatta was a minister, presidential candidate and later leader of the opposition.
Gachagua is a wealthy politician who has built a fortune in business over the years. He is married to a minister, Dorcas, and they have two adult sons.
In 2017, he contested for the Mathira constituency seat, capturing the position previously held by his elder brother, Nderitu Gachagua.
It is during this time that Gachagua’s fiery character and political abilities began to attract attention.
Yet his public statements, before and since he became vice president, are sometimes seen as gaffes or outright outrageous remarks.
Last year he said the government is like a stock company, with those who voted for the current government having more rights to government appointments and contracts.
Senator Danson Mungatana said last week that Gachagua’s words “have marginalized sections of Kenyans and created and continue to increase ethnic tensions.”
Gachagua has often defended himself, but he recently acknowledged that it may ultimately be the very thing that catapulted him to the top and will lead to his downfall: his way of speaking.
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