By Mwibanda.
The ongoing political tension between Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and President William Ruto came into sharp focus once again on November 16, 2024, during a public event in Embu.
Gachagua, who was present at the installation of Bishop Peter Kimani, was conspicuously sidelined as former President Uhuru Kenyatta, President Ruto, and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki were all invited to address the congregation, leaving him out of the spotlight.
The event, which was attended by hundreds of Catholic faithful, saw both Uhuru and Ruto take the stage to deliver speeches, with Kindiki also being given an opportunity to address the audience.
Despite arriving early, Gachagua chose not to sit in the designated VIP area, instead opting to mingle with the regular attendees.
However, it was his exclusion from the speaking program that drew the most attention.
Not only was Gachagua not called to speak, but he also appeared to be deliberately ignored by both President Ruto and his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
The two leaders, despite being in close proximity to Gachagua, avoided acknowledging him, further signaling the deep political divide between the former deputy president and the current leadership.
The sequence of events unfolded as Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, the event’s host, invited Kindiki to speak.
Following Kindiki’s address, Uhuru was then invited to deliver his remarks, before Ruto took the stage to conclude the speeches.
At no point during the proceedings was Gachagua recognized, despite calls from some members of the congregation urging him to speak.
The episode has raised questions about whether the snub was intentional, with many speculating that the tension between Gachagua and Ruto, further exacerbated by Gachagua’s impeachment by the Senate just weeks earlier, may have played a role in the public slight.
After the event, Gachagua, flanked by his allies from Mt Kenya, including Gathoni Wamuchoba, left the venue without addressing the crowd.
This snub comes at a time when the political environment in Kenya is still grappling with the fallout from Gachagua’s ousting, which has led to the rise of Kithure Kindiki as the new Deputy President.
The division within the ruling party appears to be growing, with Gachagua’s sidelining at the Embu event serving as the latest visible indicator of the fracturing political landscape.
During the speeches that followed, former President Uhuru Kenyatta called for national unity, urging Kenyans to put aside tribalism and embrace peaceful co-existence.
“We should pray for peace in Kenya. Let us pray for cooperation between Kenyan citizens and leaders. Let us stop tribalism and let us love each other,” Uhuru told the congregation, stressing the importance of mutual respect between citizens and their leaders.
President Ruto, who spoke after Uhuru, acknowledged the former President as his ally and expressed appreciation for the progress made in implementing key projects from the previous regime, including the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), the Affordable Housing Project, and Universal Health Coverage.
Despite the public display of cordiality between Ruto and Uhuru, the absence of Gachagua from the proceedings spoke volumes about the deepening political rift within the country’s leadership.
This incident, and the growing public divisions within the ruling administration, signals a potentially volatile period in Kenya’s politics as it heads into the future with a new deputy president at the helm and a fragile political balance between key leaders.
The full implications of the ongoing power struggles between Ruto, Uhuru, and Gachagua are yet to be seen, but events like the one in Embu underscore the complexity of Kenya’s political dynamics as they unfold.
Ends.
