Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu on Tuesday dismissed President William Ruto’s claim that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had demanded 10 billion Kenyan shillings to secure political backing in the Mount Kenya region.
Speaking at a press briefing within Parliament, Nyutu described Ruto’s televised remarks as riddled with inconsistencies and accused the president of spreading “falsehoods” in his address to the nation on Monday night.
“The claims were very inconsistent,” Nyutu said. “You remember sometime back, Dennis Itumbi alleged that Gachagua had asked for 6.4 billion shillings. If you want to know it’s not the truth, just look at how inconsistent these figures have been.”
Ruto, in a national interview, claimed that Gachagua had pressured him for the billions, warning that failure to comply would render him a one-term president. The president also blamed his former deputy’s leadership style and frequent conflicts with government officials for his removal.
Nyutu countered that argument, suggesting that Ruto had, in fact, sanctioned Gachagua’s removal. “The President accused Gachagua of failing to advocate for government projects on television, yet in the same breath, he said he had not implemented any projects in two years because he was fixing the economy,” he said. “We must not allow any lies from a person of the stature of the President.”
At the same time, Nyutu revealed that Gachagua was preparing to field a candidate in the upcoming Mbeere North by-election following the nomination of MP Geoffrey Ruku to the Cabinet. “We are ready to challenge UDA in Mbeere North,” Nyutu stated, signaling a growing political rift within the ruling party.
Ruku, nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development, and Special Programs, is set to replace Justin Muturi if confirmed by Parliament.
Meanwhile, Gachagua took to social media to fire back at Ruto, branding him a “pathological liar.” Without naming the president directly, he accused Ruto of misleading Kenyans about his removal.
“I am now more convinced than ever that pathological lying is a mental disorder,” Gachagua wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The greatest existential threat to our beloved country is outright lying to the people of Kenya without blinking.”
His remarks came after Ruto defended Gachagua’s removal, arguing that the former deputy president’s leadership style had become untenable. “He was not working; he was always engaged in fights, constantly complaining about officials. I had to intervene every time until I got tired,” Ruto said.
The political drama has intensified as the battle for control over the Mount Kenya voting bloc escalates, with allies of both leaders taking positions ahead of the next election cycle.
