Gachagua Impeached Amid Failed Rapprochement with Kenyatta

: Rigathi Gachagua faces impeachment as his attempts at reconciliation with former President Uhuru Kenyatta fail, marking a pivotal shift in Kenya’s political landscape.

By Charles Wachira
In the wake of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment by Parliament on October 17, 2024, political dynamics in Kenya have taken a dramatic turn.

 At the center of the unfolding political drama is Gachagua’s fraught relationship with former President Uhuru Kenyatta—a relationship that, despite years of public hostility, saw surprising but unsuccessful attempts at rapprochement before Gachagua’s downfall.

Gachagua’s Public Assaults on Uhuru Kenyatta

For years, Gachagua built his political brand by relentlessly attacking Kenyatta, especially after William Ruto’s 2022 presidential victory.

 He positioned himself as the voice of central Kenya voters who, in his view, had been betrayed by Kenyatta’s decision to back opposition leader Raila Odinga instead of Ruto in the 2022 elections.

 Throughout his tenure as deputy president, Gachagua frequently accused Kenyatta of mismanaging the economy and abandoning his own political base.

 These attacks were not just political but deeply personal, often invoking the notion of betrayal and injustice against the Mount Kenya region.

However, these public diatribes came at a cost. Gachagua’s unyielding focus on Kenyatta alienated sections of the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition and overshadowed key government policies, including President Ruto’s “bottom-up” economic agenda. 

Members of the ruling alliance grew increasingly frustrated, accusing Gachagua of creating unnecessary distractions that eroded their political cohesion.

The Quiet Reproach: Gachagua’s Attempts at Reconciliation

Despite his harsh rhetoric, Gachagua recognized that his political future was on shaky ground as dissatisfaction within Kenya Kwanza grew.

 Facing mounting pressure from within his party and an increasingly isolated position, he made discreet attempts at reconciliation with Kenyatta earlier in 2024, months before his impeachment.

This rapprochement was driven by necessity. Gachagua, aware of Kenyatta’s lingering influence within political circles and Mount Kenya, sought to mend fences to bolster his own standing.

 Political insiders suggest that private emissaries were sent to initiate dialogue between the two, in a bid to repair their fractured relationship.

However, these efforts never gained momentum. Kenyatta, still bruised by Gachagua’s constant verbal attacks, remained aloof and disinterested in any form of public or private reconciliation.

 For Kenyatta, who had largely stepped back from active politics after leaving office, Gachagua’s overtures appeared insincere—driven by political desperation rather than genuine goodwill.

The Impeachment Vote: Kenyatta’s Silence

With Gachagua’s impeachment, the political consequences of his failed reconciliation efforts became glaringly apparent. 

As Parliament voted overwhelmingly to remove him from office on grounds of abuse of power and corruption, the political landscape that Gachagua had navigated with antagonism against Kenyatta came crashing down.

Curiously, amidst the political turmoil, Kenyatta has remained silent. The former president has yet to make any public comment about Gachagua’s impeachment.

 This silence has not gone unnoticed, with political observers noting that Kenyatta’s non-response may reflect a calculated disinterest in Gachagua’s plight.

 Having been the target of Gachagua’s unrelenting verbal assaults, Kenyatta may see the deputy president’s downfall as a form of political comeuppance.

The Larger Implications of Gachagua’s Impeachment

For Gachagua, the impeachment is a crushing blow to his political ambitions.

 His failed attempts at reconciling with Kenyatta are a stark reminder of how quickly the tides of Kenyan politics can turn.

 While he once sought to define himself as the protector of central Kenya’s interests against Kenyatta’s perceived missteps, Gachagua now finds himself politically marginalized, his attempts at rapprochement reduced to an afterthought.

The impeachment also marks a pivotal moment for President William Ruto’s administration.

 With Gachagua out of the picture, Ruto has an opportunity to realign his government and refocus on key development agendas that were overshadowed by Gachagua’s feuds and internal divisions. 

However, the question remains: who will fill the political vacuum left by Gachagua, and will Ruto’s administration manage to move forward without the internal strife that has characterized the past two years?

As for Kenyatta, his silence speaks volumes. It is a reminder that in the world of Kenyan politics, silence can often be more telling than words.

 Gachagua’s attempts at reconciliation may have come too late to repair their fractured relationship, and now, as the former deputy president faces an uncertain political future, Kenyatta’s calculated disengagement may ultimately be the final chapter in their bitter feud.

In the end, Gachagua’s political downfall serves as a cautionary tale of the perils of political overreach, the fragility of alliances, and the lasting impact of personal vendettas in Kenya’s complex political landscape.

Keywords:Gachagua impeachment:Uhuru Kenyatta reconciliation:Kenya politics 2024:Rigathi Gachagua downfall:William Ruto government