Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto, accusing him of deploying political allies to disparage former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Speaking during a church service in Kirinyaga on Sunday, Gachagua described the trend of insulting the former Head of State as “unbecoming” and a mark of disrespect toward a former Commander-in-Chief.

“I want to caution you, ‘kasongo,’ that you should stop the trend of sending your henchmen to insult President Kenyatta,” Gachagua said. “He served the country diligently; you should allow him to retire in peace.”

The former Deputy President also addressed the criticism regarding his role in rallying the Mt. Kenya region to vote for the current administration in 2022. He claimed that he and the region acted on limited information at the time.

“The people of the Mountain voted for Ruto because our son, Kenyatta, was not candid with us,” Gachagua explained. “Had he told us in detail who Ruto really was, none of us would have voted for him.”

Dispute Over Popularity Polls

In the same breath, Gachagua dismissed recent opinion polls that ranked his Democratic Congress Party (DCP) at a five percent popularity rating. He characterized the data as “laughable” and suggested the figures were being manipulated by the state.

“When you say that DCP popularity is at five percent, there is a big problem,” he stated. “In the last by-elections, we won seats in Kajiado, Nairobi, and Kakamega. In fact, the reverse is true: DCP stands at 28 percent while UDA is lagging at five percent.”

Gachagua further alleged that the government is influencing these outcomes financially. “What I know is that the government is paying the opinion polling companies in order to be favored by their results,” he added.