Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has renewed his verbal exchange with former Deputy President and DCP Party leader Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of ignoring advice he offered while serving as Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Speaking during the Mt Kenya East Elders Solemn Assembly in Nembure, Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, on Saturday, August 15, Kindiki claimed he repeatedly visited Gachagua at night and urged him to remain loyal to President William Ruto.
“I came to visit you many nights when I was the interior cabinet secretary and told you to be loyal to the President so that in the future you could also be in his position,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki accused Gachagua of dismissing his counsel, saying the former DP is now criticising the government from outside after losing his position.
“But you despised me and told me I don’t know what I was saying. Now you are making noise from the outside,” he said.
Kindiki further attributed Gachagua’s removal from office to what he described as excessive confidence, while suggesting that he had attempted to intervene before the situation deteriorated.
“Your overconfidence is what removed you from office, and I had told you. I do not want to be like you,” Kindiki said.
He warned Gachagua against pushing him to reveal details of the assistance he allegedly offered him while they were both serving in government.
“Do not push me to expose the secret of how I tried to help you,” Kindiki added.
The deputy president also addressed the manner in which he refers to Gachagua, insisting that the former DP had no authority to dictate how he should address him.
“I want to tell you this, Mr Rigathi: it is not upon you to tell me how I should call you. It is not your business; it is mine,” Kindiki said.
He explained his decision to refer to Gachagua as his brother as being rooted in the shared heritage of communities from the region.
“I am not calling you my brother because I love you or am afraid of you,” Kindiki stated.
“I call you my brother because the elders of the Kikuyu, Meru, Embu and Mbeere communities told me that we are one community. You are my brother by blood, not by choice,” he added.
The latest remarks come amid an increasingly public war of words between Kindiki and Gachagua, with the two leaders repeatedly trading accusations over their political differences.
