- All has not been well between DP Gachagua and the PCS Mudavadi following derogatory remarks the DP made against Mudavadi which did not go down well with a section of Luhya MPs. The bone of contention between the two is a claim by Gachagua and his Mount Kenya allies that President William Ruto is sidelining his DP while preferring to assign Mudavadi to represent him at key events including the swearing-in of elected foreign Heads of State
By The Weekly Vision
Fresh details have emerged as to why Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua failed to attend a prayer meeting in Navaklholo Constituency in Kakamega County over the weekend. President William Ruto and other top government officials attended the event with sources well versed with the ongoing behind the scene wars between DP Gachagua and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi revealing to The Weekly Vision that intelligence reports warned that DP Gachagua’s presence at the prayer meeting would have created unnecessary tensions.
The source also adds that a section of Western MPs had allegedly plotted to humiliate and embarrass him had he attended the function; he would have been embarrassed as the Mulembe nation planned to demean him while heaping praises on their son Musalia.
All has not been well between DP Gachagua and the PCS Mudavadi following derogatory remarks the DP made against Mudavadi which did not go down well with a section of Luhya MPs who have demanded that he should respect Mudavadi. The bone of contention between the two is a claim by Gachagua and his Mount Kenya allies that President William Ruto is sidelining his DP while preferring to assign Mudavadi to represent him at key events including the swearing-in of elected foreign Heads of State. The DP tried to downplay the issue of being sidelined during a live television interview. “I have heard people saying that Musalia is doing my job. That he is the one going to Nigeria while I have been handed the ordinary jobs of fighting alcohol and drug abuse”.
But the statement that Luhya MPs did not take kindly is when he claimed that if he was to participate in events outside the country, they must be about resource mobilization. He was captured saying “Ile safari mimi nitaenda ni ile ya kutafuta kitu. Kwenda tuu kuona rais mpya akiapishwa mimi nitarudi na nini? Mimi sina haja,” he said.
The statement loosely translates to: “The only trip I can attend abroad is one that will bring in resources. Just attending the swearing-in of a new President will add what value? I am not interested”. There have been rumours and concerns that engaging Mudavadi to represent him in key events outside the country; it is a clear indication by the president that the two top Kenya Kwanza leaders are not on good terms. There have been whispers that Ruto has a soft spot for Mudavadi, something which Mount Kenya politicians are not happy about. Speculations have been ripe that in the event of a fallout between Ruto and his Deputy, Mudavadi will be Ruto’s running mate in the 2027 elections.
The creation of the office of Prime Cabinet Secretary according to political analysts was to water down the powerful office of the Deputy President. Constitutionally, the Prime Cabinet Secretary assists the President and the Deputy President in the coordination and supervision of Government Ministries and State Departments. In addition, the Prime Cabinet Secretary Chairs and co-ordinates National Government legislative agenda across all ministries and state departments in consultation with and for transmission to the Party/Coalition Leaders in Parliament.
Section of Mount Kenya politicians have come out to demand that the DP be allowed space as provided for in the constitution and that the office of the PCS held by Mudavadi should be below that of the DP but as things stand now, Mudavadi and Gachagua are in the same level in terms of power and influence.
