In Kenyan politics, slogans may stir the crowd, but only vision sustains power. Rigathi Gachagua, the impeached former Deputy President, once thundered his “one term” mantra like a battle cry to oust President William Ruto. Today, the war drum is silent, the general reduced to a bitter echo of his former self.
His July sojourn to America – touted as a diaspora tour – quickly unravelled into bar-hopping and self-promotion. He boasted that Kenyans were chanting “wantam” even at the African Nations Championship. Yet at the CHAN finals in Kasarani yesterday , the applause was for Ruto. Fans cheered the Head of State, leaving Gachagua’s fantasy in ruins.
The former DP’s August 21 return was meant to be triumphant. Instead, it flopped: thin crowds, allegations of staged “attacks,” and whispers of hired goons. His impeachment in October 2024 – endorsed by 53 senators – marked the collapse of a man who chose vendetta over unity. Since then, Gachagua has painted himself as victim, lacing every speech with tribal poison, but offering no policy, no solutions, no hope.
Kenyans are weary. They want affordable fertilizer, thriving agriculture, working hospitals. Gachagua serves only bile. His “one term” gospel reeks of personal rage, not national interest. What he calls revelations about Ruto are little more than recycled grievances – betrayal, plots, conspiracies – the lament of a man rejected by the very people he sought to lead.
This is not statesmanship. This is tribal politics dressed as prophecy, bitterness masquerading as vision. As Ruto pushes forward, drawing applause at home and abroad, Gachagua stews in the past. The mountain’s roar has dwindled to a whimper – his mirage dissolved, his relevance gone.
