Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a fresh attack on President William Ruto’s administration, accusing him of breaking key campaign promises, worsening the cost of living, over-borrowing and using the criminal justice system to settle political scores.
Speaking during his State of the Nation address, Gachagua presented what he described as a record of failure by the Kenya Kwanza administration, four years after Ruto and his deputy won the 2022 presidential election.
Gachagua said the President had failed to deliver the change promised to Kenyans during the campaign.
“Ruto has failed,” Gachagua said, accusing the President of abandoning the commitments that helped him win the 2022 election.
He said the Government had instead subjected Kenyans to a growing tax burden while failing to provide adequate relief from the rising cost of living.
“Once again, I call on this government to cushion the payslip by suspending the Affordable Housing Levy and reducing the PAYE tax bands,” Gachagua said.
He argued that workers were taking home less money while facing higher prices for basic goods and services.
Gachagua gave the example of a teacher earning Sh50,000, saying the worker’s take-home pay had fallen significantly since 2022.
“A punitive and unpredictable tax regime is one of the principal causes of the high cost of living,” he said.
He also attacked the Government over fuel prices, arguing that the cost of petroleum products had placed an additional burden on households, farmers and businesses.
Gachagua said the price of Super Petrol had risen from Sh159.12 per litre in August 2022 to Sh214.03, while diesel had increased from Sh140 to Sh222.86.
He challenged the administration to review the pricing system and reduce the cost of fuel.
State House spending
Gachagua also questioned the amount allocated to State House, claiming its budget had increased from Sh8 billion to Sh18 billion.
“State House does not need Sh18 billion for 12 months,” he said.
He called on the President to cut expenditure at the top before asking ordinary Kenyans to accept additional taxes.
Gachagua said the Government should redirect money from what he termed unnecessary expenditure to programmes that directly benefit citizens.
He specifically cited water projects in arid and semi-arid areas.
“Why should we continue taxing Kenyans when Government can cut unnecessary expenditure?” he asked.
Borrowing
The former deputy president also accused the administration of excessive borrowing.
He said the Grand Coalition Government borrowed an average of about Sh200 billion annually, while the Jubilee administration borrowed approximately Sh700 billion a year.
Under Ruto, he claimed, annual borrowing had increased to about Sh1.4 trillion.
“We are borrowing an average of Sh3.5 billion every day,” Gachagua said.
He questioned why the country was borrowing heavily despite the financial pressure facing households.
“Why borrow to steal?” he posed.
Gachagua said the Government needed to explain how borrowed funds were being used and why Kenyans were not seeing corresponding improvements in their lives.
Criminal justice
Gachagua accused the administration of turning the criminal justice system into a weapon against political opponents.
“He is using the criminal justice system to settle scores,” Gachagua said of Ruto.
He accused the Government of targeting critics through arrests, investigations and prosecutions.
Gachagua also raised allegations of abductions, extrajudicial killings and the use of goons in political operations.
“The Republic of Kenya is in a state of lawlessness and anarchy,” he said.
“In just four years, there has been a total breakdown of law and order.”
Gachagua claimed that criminal gangs had increasingly become part of political operations.
“Guns have become part of the command structure, rank and file of the National Police Service,” he alleged.
He called for greater accountability within the security sector.
Raila death
Gachagua also demanded a public inquest into the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Odinga died in India in October 2025 while receiving medical treatment.
Gachagua questioned the circumstances surrounding his final days and said Kenyans deserved answers.
“These are hard questions that Kenyans want to know,” he said.
He questioned why Odinga’s personal doctors were allegedly unable to access him during his final hours and raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his treatment in India.
Gachagua said the matter should not be left to speculation.
“The people of Kenya have told me to demand on their behalf a public inquest on the death of Raila Odinga,” he said.
He said the inquiry should also cover other high-profile deaths.
General Ogolla
Gachagua similarly demanded an investigation into the death of former Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla.
Ogolla and nine other military personnel died when a Kenya Defence Forces helicopter crashed in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in April 2024.
Gachagua questioned the circumstances under which Ogolla travelled in the aircraft.
“What do you know about General Ogolla’s death?” he asked Ruto.
“Are you ready to tell the country why you allowed General Ogolla to travel in a Bell Huey helicopter with a questionable mechanical status?”
Gachagua said the circumstances surrounding the death of a serving military chief required transparency.
“General Ogolla was not an ordinary citizen. He died in active duty and service to the nation,” he said.
He called for the full circumstances of the crash to be made public.
Johana Ng’eno death
Gachagua also raised questions about the death of former Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno in a helicopter crash.
He questioned the circumstances surrounding the helicopter’s movement and alleged that fuel used by the aircraft had been transported from Lodwar to Eldoret by road.
Gachagua challenged the Kenya Airports Authority to release CCTV footage from the airstrip.
“Can KAA produce the CCTV footage at the facility on this fateful day?” he asked.
He said the circumstances warranted an independent inquiry.
Dr Mutiso case
Gachagua also referred to the killing of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, a clinical psychologist and mental health researcher.
He alleged that police officers arrested in connection with the killing were later released and allegedly facilitated to leave the country.
Gachagua said the case raised questions about accountability within the security agencies.
He linked the case to his wider allegations of lawlessness and impunity.
Ichung’wah responds
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah dismissed Gachagua’s attacks on the Government, accusing the former deputy president of using political rhetoric to mobilise support ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Ichung’wah challenged Gachagua to account for his own record as deputy president before attacking the administration in which he served.
During the controversy surrounding the arrest of Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia, Ichung’wah defended the police action and criticised leaders who questioned the arrest.
“If you are a true leader, you should not be talking about the arrest of people who are perpetuating criminality and endangering the lives of other Kenyans,” Ichung’wah said.
“You should be condemning them.”
Ichung’wah has also rejected Gachagua’s attempts to position himself as the sole political voice of Mt Kenya.
“No one will dictate who Mt Kenya residents will vote for,” he has said.
The Majority Leader has maintained that residents of the region will make their own political decisions ahead of the 2027 election.
The political battle between the two camps comes less than a year before the next General Election.
Gachagua and Ruto came to power together in 2022, campaigning on promises to transform the economy and improve the lives of ordinary Kenyans.
Their political relationship collapsed two years later, culminating in Gachagua’s impeachment and removal from the deputy presidency in October 2024.
Gachagua has since established the DCP and is seeking to build a political coalition ahead of 2027.
His latest address puts the Ruto administration’s record at the centre of his political campaign.
“Ruto has failed,” Gachagua said.
He now wants Kenyans to judge the President on the promises made in 2022 and what has been delivered four years later.
