Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday, May 29, wrote to the Nation Media Group demanding an apology from the media house and the retraction of an article that claimed that the second in command had set his sights on taking over a new party.
The article titled Gachagua Seeks New Party Amid Falling Out with Ruto and Ruto-Gachagua tiff: DP Gachagua in Search of a new political outfit was published in the Daily Nation Newspaper and its Digital platform on May 29, 2024.
In a letter signed by Njeri Rugene, Head of the Deputy Presidential Communication Service, the DP's office accused Nation of fabricating matters and falsely associating Gachagua with another political party.
"This one-sided false and concocted story is laced with innuendos and malice," the letter read in part.
"To associate His Excellency the Deputy President with another political party, especially one with the questionable association can only have been done in bad faith, with the sole intention of undermining His Excellency's role as the Deputy Party Leader of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party."
In the article, Gachagua's team was claimed to have made contact with The New Democrats Party which was initially headed by former President Mwai Kibaki's son Jimmy Kibaki.
The DP's office alleged that the article sought to defame the DP and did not take into account Gachagua's take on the matter.
"It is deliberately intended to disparage and attack the integrity of His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya," the letter read in part.
"The article also clearly violates the tenets of professional journalism that demand objectivity, balance and fairness. In this regard, we demand a retraction of this fabricated article and an apology with the same prominence."
Nation's article claimed that they reached out to sources who claimed that DP was reaching out to several political players including a former official in ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta's administration to secure a deal.
"He has acquired a political party and recently approached a governor from Western Kenya to be part of his team. He even asked him to plan a meeting with a senior former CS so that they can discuss future politics," the report as quoted by Nation stated.
