Six months after being forced out of office, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has cut ties with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), accusing the party of betraying the people it claimed to serve.
In a sharply worded resignation letter posted online on Monday, Mr Gachagua declared the UDA party “has exhausted and wasted a Kenyan moment” and no longer represents the ideals on which it was elected.
“It is a party I believed in,” he wrote, “but it has become the most dangerous political moment for this country.”
His departure marks a definitive break with President William Ruto, once his closest political ally. The two campaigned together in 2022 on a ticket promising economic fairness and a bottom-up approach to governance. But the alliance soured publicly in late 2024, culminating in Mr Gachagua’s impeachment on 18 October.
Since then, Gachagua has emerged as one of Ruto’s fiercest critics.
A Public Divorce
In his resignation letter, Mr Gachagua accused the President and his party of abandoning their promises. He said Ruto had campaigned on justice, peace, and prosperity, but delivered instead “a litany of lies.”
“No nation can be built on falsehoods,” he wrote. “UDA has left every Kenyan on their own and behind.”
He condemned the government’s handling of education reforms, particularly the controversial competency-based curriculum (CBC), calling it a “failure,” and dismissed the new university funding model as “incoherent and corrupt.”
Perhaps most damning was his accusation that the government had “gone rogue,” referencing recent abductions of vocal critics—incidents that rights groups say resemble the country’s darker political past.
A Party Under Pressure
The UDA has not officially responded to Gachagua’s resignation. But political analysts say his departure is significant, coming at a time when discontent over economic hardships and state overreach appears to be growing.
“Gachagua’s criticisms reflect frustrations shared by many Kenyans,” said political analyst Daisy Kanyua. “Whether you like him or not, his words will resonate.”
The President still enjoys support in many parts of the country, but the shine of the 2022 campaign has faded for some. A sharp rise in the cost of living, ongoing protests by health and education workers, and controversial state spending have tested public patience.
New Opposition Forming
Since leaving office, Gachagua has not disappeared into political obscurity. Instead, he’s joined a new coalition of opposition leaders seeking to challenge Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among them are veteran politicians Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Eugene Wamalwa. The group has vowed to mount a nationwide campaign to rally voters and, eventually, settle on a single presidential candidate.
Their efforts come as Raila Odinga, long considered the face of Kenya’s opposition, has stepped back from local politics. In early 2025, Odinga signed a cooperation agreement with President Ruto after being nominated for a senior post at the African Union Commission.
What’s Next?
Gachagua’s move may energise a political base disillusioned with the current administration. But critics question whether his sudden moral clarity is genuine.
“He was part of this government until it turned against him,” said John Karanja, a university lecturer in Nairobi. “His criticisms are valid, but they would carry more weight if he had spoken up earlier.”
For now, the former deputy president seems content playing the role of rebel-turned-reformer.
“History,” he wrote, “will remember who stood up when it mattered most.”
Whether that’s enough to win back public trust—or the presidency—is a battle still to come.
