The exchange marks an escalation in the political
confrontation, with both sides positioning themselves for the 2027 battle.
Ichung’wah said Gachagua should allow Kenyans to assess the government’s record instead of relying on allegations and political rhetoric.
President William Ruto allies on Tuesday launched a rebuttal against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of peddling political gossip and unsubstantiated allegations to discredit government.
Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah, who read the statement, said the DCP leader should be called out for hypocrisy and challenged him to provide evidence to relevant authorities.
“A former DP knows the difference between evidence, hearsay and political gossip. What he is engaging in today is gossip,” Ichung’wah said.
He was joined by a battery of MPs aligned to broad-based government, in response to the sentiments the Democracy for Citizens Party leader in his address on Ruto's four years in office.
The leaders said Gachagua should also provide answers over the 2023 attack on former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Northlands farm.
“I was with him..he knows this, and I have consistently challenged him to come clear about it,” Ichung’wah said.
The leaders accused the former DP of using allegations on security, corruption and governance to create anxiety and undermine institutions.
They said Gachagua should stop holding a grudge against President William Ruto over his removal from office, arguing that his impeachment was sanctioned by Parliament.
Kenyans, he added, would judge the administration on its record, insisting that the broad-based government had achievements to show.
Ichung’wah cited reforms in agriculture, major infrastructure projects and subsidised fertiliser among initiatives he said were improving the lives of Kenyans.
He said the cost of maize flour had fallen from more than Sh200 per packet before Ruto took over, while reforms in health financing were helping settle medical bills for ordinary Kenyans.
“A new financial architecture for health insurance is sorting bills for villagers, including those in his Wamunyoro backyard,” he said.
The Majority leader also cited the Nyota Fund, saying it had helped young Kenyans previously exposed to predatory lenders while creating opportunities.
He said the government was changing how infrastructure projects were financed to prevent roads, dams and other projects from becoming an additional burden on taxpayers.
“We have changed the conversation in infrastructure financing so that every road or dam doesn’t become another burden for Kenyans as the National Infrastructure Fund is building a new architecture,” Ichung’wah said.
He cited High Grand Falls and Badasa dams as projects conceptualised before the Ruto administration, saying they would be completed without placing an excessive burden on taxpayers.
But he challenged Gachagua to account for his own record during the two years he served as DP.
“The question should be what Gachagua did in the two years he was in office. What lasting policy did he leave behind? What was his greatest idea for Kenyans? What is his idea today?” Ichung’wah asked.
The leaders also took issue with the former DP’s remarks on the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, accusing him of attempting to make political capital from the death of the ODM leader.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, who spoke at the press conference attended by dozens of MPs, condemned the remarks and questioned Gachagua’s relationship with Raila.
“He did not even attend Raila’s burial when every leader did. He has not even seen it worth to visit the Odinga family even privately to condole with them,” Junet said.
Junet also rejected Gachagua’s assertions about ODM’s political agreement with Ruto, saying the former DP had no business meddling in the party’s affairs.
He dismissed claims that ODM was dead, saying the party remained an important force in national politics.
"When he said ODM is dead, we wonder what he knows about ODM. When ODM was on the streets, he oversaw the polce brutaliy that left our supporters maimed. Shame has no name but if it is to be given a name it has to be Rigathi Gachagua," Junet said.
The leaders challenged the DCP leader to present evidence backing his allegations of assassinations, tax evasion, murder and other wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities.
They said serious allegations should be investigated through established institutions rather than aired as political accusations.
The Kenya Kwanza allies defended the government’s record on the economy and fuel supply, arguing that Gachagua’s criticism ignored improvements made since 2022.
They said the government had maintained steady fuel supplies through the government-to-government importation arrangement and defended its economic record.
The allies accused the former DP of using bitter rhetoric as he seeks to rebuild influence ahead of the 2027 election.
