Gachagua fires back at Ruto over Uhuru Kenyatta 2027 election remarks
Fresh battle lines have emerged between President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after the President questioned whether retired President Uhuru Kenyatta could defeat him in the 2027 General Election.
Ruto made the remarks during his development tour of Siaya on Tuesday, September 15, where he questioned the relevance of Uhuru in the political contest expected to shape Kenya’s next presidential election. According to The Star’s report, Ruto argued that Uhuru had failed to defeat him while serving as President and questioned whether he could do so after leaving office.
“So Uhuru Kenyatta did not defeat me when he was President, and now I am the President, and he is retired — is he going to defeat me?” Ruto asked during the Siaya address.
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Gachagua has now responded with a lengthy political statement challenging the President’s interpretation of the 2022 election and his attempts to frame Uhuru as a central opponent ahead of 2027.
“You were not elected as President because President Uhuru Kenyatta failed to defeat you. No!” Gachagua said.
The former Deputy President argued that Ruto won the 2022 election because Uhuru and those opposed to his candidacy did not convince enough voters to reject him.
Gachagua challenges Ruto’s Uhuru argument
Gachagua said Uhuru had not sufficiently persuaded him and other Kenyans about what he described as the risks of a Ruto presidency.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta did not sufficiently convince me and a majority of Kenyans that you were incapable of leading the country, that you were viciously corrupt, and that you would completely ruin our country in less than three years,” he said.
Those statements represent Gachagua’s political assessment of Ruto’s presidency and should be understood within the increasingly contested political environment ahead of the 2027 election.
Gachagua then argued that the political circumstances had changed since the 2022 campaign.
“Today, you have proven to me and the whole country that President Uhuru was right,” he said.
The former Deputy President insisted that Uhuru should not be treated as Ruto’s principal opponent in the coming presidential contest.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta is not your opponent in this election. You are just trying a bad deflection,” Gachagua said.
Ruto’s remarks in Siaya came amid renewed political activity involving Uhuru and opposition leaders. Capital FM reported that Ruto accused Uhuru of using Siaya Governor James Orengo to oppose government programmes and questioned the former President’s involvement in opposition politics.
The exchange illustrates how Uhuru’s political influence remains part of the wider debate surrounding the 2027 contest, even though he is no longer the country’s sitting President.
Gachagua identifies groups he says oppose Ruto
Gachagua shifted the focus from Uhuru to ordinary Kenyans and groups he argued have grievances against the government.
“Your opponents are the people of Kenya: the payslip holders whose payslips you have raided, the GenZs whom you have abducted and killed, the Christians whose churches you have defiled, the business people whom you have run out of business, patients who have no medicine and lack medical insurance, parents and students with no access to affordable education, and all those choking under the high cost of living,” he said.
He went further by claiming that the entire Kenyan population constituted Ruto’s political opposition.
“55 million Kenyans are your opponents,” Gachagua said.
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The claim is a political assertion rather than an independently established measure of public opinion. Kenya’s political landscape remains divided, with competing parties and political formations positioning themselves ahead of the next General Election.
Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party has nevertheless gained attention after its candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru won the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election. The Star reported that the DCP candidate secured 35,440 votes against UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah’s 5,450 votes.
The result has since featured prominently in political arguments over the strength of Gachagua’s network and the evolving competition within the Mt Kenya region.
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Gachagua also referred to the Ol Kalou contest while discussing the wider 2027 political battle.
“Olkalou was just a dress rehearsal for the forthcoming General Election,” he said.
His remarks also touched on allegations surrounding political mobilisation and the use of financial incentives during campaigns.
“Kenyans will take your money and vote you out,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua says opposition candidate talks are ongoing
A major part of Gachagua’s statement focused on the opposition’s effort to settle on a single presidential candidate for 2027.
“The decision to vote you out is settled, and only one matter is outstanding to complete the picture: the identification of a single presidential candidate to take you home,” he said.
Gachagua described the process of identifying a common candidate as “a piece of work in progress” and said Kenyans would eventually be informed of the person selected.
The question of opposition unity has become one of the central political issues ahead of 2027. Gachagua recently said he was prepared to serve as Edwin Sifuna’s running mate if political calculations showed that such an arrangement would strengthen the opposition ticket. The Star reported that Gachagua said opposition leaders should remain open to different coalition arrangements.
The former Deputy President has also continued engaging political figures and communities outside Kenya as he builds support for his political project.
Gachagua concluded his latest message by directly addressing Ruto’s political activities in Nyanza.
“As you spend money in Nyanza to bribe people to attend your meetings, please appoint a team to start preparing your handover notes,” he said.
He then used an Italian phrase to underscore his warning to the President.
“Il tuo destino è segnato!” Gachagua said, meaning “Your fate is sealed.”
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The latest exchange adds to an increasingly active political contest more than a year before the 2027 General Election. Ruto is defending his administration and seeking to consolidate support across the country, while Gachagua and other opposition figures are pursuing different forms of cooperation as they seek to challenge the incumbent.
The eventual opposition presidential ticket remains unresolved. Recent reporting shows that the political contest also involves figures such as Kalonzo Musyoka, Edwin Sifuna, Martha Karua, Ndindi Nyoro and other leaders whose alliances could shape the final configuration of the 2027 race. Nation has reported on the widening political contest within Mt Kenya, while The Star has reported on discussions around opposition cooperation.
Gachagua’s latest statement therefore places the question of opposition unity at the centre of his response to Ruto, while making clear that he does not view Uhuru Kenyatta as the principal figure who will determine the outcome of the 2027 contest.
