Rigathi Gachagua presents himself as President William Ruto’s fiercest opponent. In rallies and interviews, he speaks with defiance, claiming to challenge the regime and rally the opposition. Yet in practice, his words and conduct are doing the exact opposite. Far from weakening Ruto, Gachagua is steadily helping him prepare the ground for a second term.
Every time Gachagua opens his mouth, the national conversation shifts away from governance, cost of living, debt, jobs, and public services. Instead, it collapses into ethnicity. His fixation on Mt Kenya identity, grievance, and entitlement feeds directly into Ruto’s preferred campaign strategy: portraying himself as the national unifier standing against a narrow, ethnic politics.
This is not accidental. Ruto thrives when the election is framed as “the rest of Kenya versus Mt Kenya.” Gachagua plays this role perfectly. By projecting himself as an ethnic kingpin rather than a national leader, he turns himself into Ruto’s most useful political asset. He becomes the proof Ruto needs to argue that the opposition is tribal, backward-looking, and unfit to govern.
Even when legitimate issues are raised, such as school placement or regional inequality, Gachagua’s careless framing ensures they are misunderstood. What should be a serious national debate is reduced to ethnic chest-thumping. By the time clarifications come, the damage is already done.
The irony is striking. Gachagua claims to fight exclusion, yet his language reinforces the very divisions that keep exclusion alive. He claims to oppose Ruto, yet his behaviour strengthens Ruto’s narrative and weakens the opposition’s credibility across the country.
History is unforgiving to politicians who mistake noise for strategy. Gachagua may believe he is destabilising the government, but in reality, he is consolidating it. By narrowing politics to Mt Kenya grievances, he alienates potential allies and hands Ruto the centre ground.
Pretending to fight power while feeding its strategy is not resistance. It is collaboration by another name.
