In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary…
- Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua announced the removal of traps at the State House, allowing ODM leader Raila Odinga unrestricted access, after observing a reconciliation between President Ruto and Raila.
- Gachagua shifted his focus to combating illicit liquor and supporting the one-man, one-shilling, one-vote campaign, acknowledging Raila’s support and re-evaluating his previous stance against him.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua announced on Sunday that he has removed all the traps he had set at the State House, granting ODM leader Raila Odinga unrestricted access to the Head of State.
Speaking from his Karen home during an interview with Kikuyu radio stations, Gachagua explained that he dismantled the traps after noticing that his boss, President Ruto, seemed to be reconciling with his former political adversary.
Gachagua revealed that his traps had been so effective that the first meeting between President Ruto and Raila Odinga took place in Uganda, far from the State House.
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“My boss and I had agreed to set up traps to prevent Raila from joining the government through the backdoor. I would check these traps every morning and evening,” Gachagua said. “I constantly monitored the traps to see if they had captured anything.”
The Deputy President shared that upon observing President Ruto’s growing camaraderie with Raila, he decided to step back and monitor the situation from a distance.
“President Ruto is in charge; that is his house. I chose to watch from afar,” Gachagua added.
“My traps were working well because even when they met, it was in Uganda while watching Museveni’s big-horned cattle.”
During the interview, Gachagua mentioned that he abandoned the traps once President Ruto and Raila began their discussions, redirecting his efforts towards combating illicit liquor.
After deep reflection, he developed the one-man, one-shilling, one-vote rallying call, which gained support from Raila.
“People criticized me heavily and labeled me tribal for suggesting resource allocation based on population sizes,” Gachagua said. “But Raila later supported the same idea, stating it was the right approach.”
Gachagua admitted that he removed all the traps after realizing he might have misjudged Raila.
He cited the example of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who, despite his initial criticism of Raila, eventually worked with him.
Similarly, President Ruto, who had previously opposed Raila, now collaborates with him in what is described as a broad-based administration.
“Uhuru told us Raila was bad, yet they ended up working together. Ruto said the same, but now they are working together. I wondered if I, Gachagua, was in the dark,” he pondered.
Reflecting further, Gachagua questioned why they had vehemently opposed Uhuru in favor of Ruto, only for Ruto to later endorse Raila.
“The person who made us dislike Uhuru has now been acknowledged as a good person by President Ruto,” he noted. Gachagua’s change of heart towards Raila was solidified after Raila voiced support for the one-man, one-shilling, one-vote campaign.
“I realized my traps would work against Raila, who is now helping me advocate for this revenue-sharing formula,” Gachagua added.
Concluding his remarks, Gachagua said he decided to remove all the traps at the State House to allow Raila access whenever he wishes.
“If Raila wants to go to the State House at any time, I have no issue with that, as he is now advocating for the same things I have been calling for,” he stated.