Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is scrambling for relevance. After a disastrous US trip and a failed “heroic” return, the former DP now seeks a lifeline on television – but Kenyans appear unmoved.
Tomorrow, Gachagua is set for a Citizen TV sit-down with Yvonne Okwara on The Explainer, where he is expected to unleash fresh attacks on President William Ruto. Yet his script is familiar: recycled accusations, ethnic mobilization under the guise of “wananchi” plans, and attempts to paint himself as a victim.
The move comes days after his much-hyped return from the US fell flat. Orchestrated by UDA defector Cleophas Malala as a triumphant comeback, the August 21 arrival at JKIA drew only a small crowd despite claims of government plots to derail his flight. Inspector-General Douglas Kanja dismissed the drama, warning Gachagua could instead face summons for defaming Kenya abroad.
His US venture, billed as a two-month diaspora crusade, was equally underwhelming. Gachagua accused Ruto of links to Al-Shabaab and Sudanese rebels – claims Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi slammed as reckless and damaging to Kenya’s global standing. Meetings flopped, diaspora turnout was thin, funding evaporated, and he returned abruptly, empty-handed and embarrassed.
Tomorrow’s broadcast may give him airtime, but with the public indifferent, it risks becoming yet another chapter in a string of flops – a politician’s last gasp for attention as the country moves on.
