Ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua hit a new low on Monday, October 21, after members of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) openly denounced him as the party's deputy.
UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar spoke during the UDA comrades event in Eldoret where he revealed there were plans to expel Gachagua from the party within one week.
“Gachagua must now accept the ground has shifted and move on,” Omar stated while urging the ousted DP to pave the way for new leaders. The Secretary-General further clarified that UDA did not recognise Gachagua as the deputy party leader of UDA, as per the ruling party's Constitution.
UDA treasurer Jafeth Nyakundi further reiterated that Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki was on the verge of becoming Kenya's next Deputy President.
According to Nyakundi, Gachagua was no longer suited to act as the party's deputy as he had gone against everything UDA stands for.
“We already recognise Kindiki as our deputy president and also deputy party leader but we will officially install him soon," he said, adding "Gachagua failed to act in accordance with the party's values."
Omar further stated that he had received direct instructions from President William Ruto to actively engage with the youth to better the UDA party and the country at large.
Gachagua's battle: UDA's latest stance on Gachagua only served to cement the unrepairable relationship between the ousted DP and President William Ruto.
The political dynamics will certainly shift going forward, with Gachagua's impending exit from the UDA Party coming just as his allies from the vote-rich Mount Kenya region also vowed to ditch the ruling party.
Former lawmaker Kimani Ngunjiri recently claimed some influential political figures were losing faith in Ruto, and were considering breaking out from UDA to form their own powerful political bloc.
“We shall form our own party. Ruto’s UDA is now in bed with the opposition,” Ngunjiri said in August 2024, long before Gachagua's ouster garnered steam.
Ngunjiri added that Mount Kenya voters’ decision to support Ruto in 2022 without a written agreement was an error of judgement which put the Mount Kenya votes at a disadvantage.
With his political career in tatters, Gachagua's only hope to salvage something lies in an unlikely decision on Tuesday, October 22 , when a three-judge bench constituted by Chief Justice Martha Koome will have an inter-partes hearing to determine whether the impeachment will stand.
