Ruto fears me, Gachagua says IEBC is weak

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says he will not go to court over alleged electoral malpractices during the recent by-elections.

Speaking yesterday, Gachagua said it would be futile to seek judicial redress, adding that he would instead take the matter to the “court of public opinion”.

“Which court do we go to? We will go to the court of public opinion. You know the government has been very brutal to me personally, and it’s my party that scares them,” said Gachagua.

Gachagua described the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as either weak or compromised, calling the by-elections a sham. He claimed that senior government officials campaigned openly and nothing was done about it.

“You saw a Cabinet minister take over a polling station and rig the elections, yet no action was taken by the IEBC. They never even issued a statement to condemn the violence; they appeared completely inept. We are looking at a very grim picture: the IEBC is incompetent and obviously biased in favour of the government. The only consolation is that the general election is a totally different ball game, and nobody has the capacity to mobilise goons or police to interfere on that scale,” he claimed.

The impeached DP accused his former boss President William Ruto of targeting him. According to Gachagua, other United Opposition leaders have not been attacked, nor have their rallies been disrupted.

“They attack Rigathi Gachagua and the DCP because we are the greatest threat to Ruto. It’s about our numbers, voter mobilisation capacity, and a solid plan. I have been attacked several times since last year, and no action has been taken,” he said.

“Nobody has been arrested because the goons and the police work together. Again, where do I report them? I have written to the Inspector-General of Police at least five times, but nothing has happened. There is a breakdown in the rule of law and a criminal attack on me by the government. They cannot take action because it is the government itself that is attacking.”

At the same time, Gachagua dismissed perceptions that DCP is a tribal party, saying the by-elections showed a different picture.

“People want to paint DCP as tribal; they think those seats belong to one community. These attempts to label my party as tribal are nonsensical."

He also denied claims associated to him regarding the 2027 race for Nairobi County governorship race.

"Claims I said DCP will take over Nairobi are not true. I said we would negotiate for the seats and DCP would get its fair share, but this is a national party, and the people who win those seats will come from all communities in the country,” he explained.

Gachagua said there is an agreement among all opposition parties to share the contest in Nairobi based on each party’s strength to avoid friendly fire and losing to their competitors.

He also insisted there is no cause for alarm over the relationship in the United Opposition principals. He said they would pick a flagbearer at the right time, noting that it is too early to announce their strategy now.

“The strategy is that everyone builds their own party and mobilises their strongholds within the united opposition. Then, late next year, we will sit down and say: we have successfully mobilised our supporters; now, going into the elections, who will take which position. There is a lot of commitment, but we have overzealous supporters of various candidates who want their people to be decided on now. That is not possible,” he stated.

Gachagua said some supporters have been trying to coerce him into endorsing particular candidates, but he dismissed this as premature. He emphasised that democracy is a game of numbers and requires massive mobilisation across the country.

“Let that candidate-and any other-first go and mobilise their base and build their party. Then, at the right time, if they convince me that they are the most suitable… It has to be persuasion, not coercion or abuse. I have seen many people on my case because I have not yet supported their candidate. I cannot do it now. I am a candidate myself, but let us be patient because we need each other’s support,” he insisted.

“It will be something like a consensus, but based on scientific justification. You present yourself before the other principals and make a case for why you believe you are the most suited and have the capacity to win on behalf of the opposition. It’s about persuasion backed by data… And I am confident I am that candidate."

Meanwhile, the former Deputy President said the country is heading in the wrong direction.

Instead of President Ruto focusing on addressing the real challenges facing Kenyans, he is pushing a narrative of tribalism, which Gachagua says is a non-issue.

“He has created a narrative in every meeting that the problem in Kenya is tribalism and that he is uniting people, yet no one is fighting each other. We should be discussing the real problems that people are facing,” he said.