What You Need to Know
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has claimed that former President Uhuru Kenyatta attempted to impeach William Ruto during his tenure as Deputy President but lacked the parliamentary numbers to do so. Duale’s remarks come amid ongoing tensions between Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who defended Uhuru’s actions during their time in office.
Africa-Press – Kenya. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has responded to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s remarks on the relationship between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his then-deputy William Ruto, making fresh claims about an alleged botched impeachment plan against Ruto.
According to Duale, Uhuru undermined President Ruto when he served as his deputy between 2017 and 2022 and that he would have impeached him, only that he never had the numbers in the National Assembly to do so.
While speaking in Nairobi on Sunday, April 19, Duale revealed that Uhuru not only humiliated Ruto but also Gachagua during the 2017-2022 period.
“I want to confirm to Rigathi, the people you are working with disrespected Ruto when he was deputy president, and they also humiliated you,” Duale stated.
Duale further revealed that the former president wanted to impeach Ruto, but he could not do so since he lacked numbers.
“Let me make it very clear, Uhuru did not have the numbers to impeach William Ruto. I was the leader of the majority, and I was leading over 145 MPs, solid behind Ruto that made Uhuru not to impeach Ruto,” he added.
His statements came hours after Rigathi Gachagua warned Duale against attacking Uhuru, saying that, despite their differences, Uhuru never impeached him.
According to Gachagua, Ruto betrayed him by paying MPs to impeach him, something that Uhuru never did when they had their political differences earlier.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta never paid members of Parliament to impeach William Ruto as Deputy President,” Gachagua stated on Sunday during a church service in Murang’a.
Gachagua also alleged that since leaving office, Ruto has orchestrated a sustained campaign against him, including sending police and hired goons to his home on weekends, evicting his children from business premises, and facilitating public attacks on his wife, which was not the case when he was the DP under Uhuru.
The former DP also pointed out that, during his tenure as deputy, Uhuru gave Ruto the freedom to move across the country, including frequent visits to the Mount Kenya region, without interference or restrictions.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta never stopped William Ruto from moving around the country; he was everywhere. In this mountain, he was here every week, and President Uhuru Kenyatta never stopped him,” he added, accusing Ruto of trying to stop him from holding rallies in the Rift Valley region.
It can be remembered that the relationship between Uhuru and Ruto became sour in 2018 after the handshake between Uhuru and former Prime Minister, late Raila Odinga.
Ruto was sidelined in many government decisions, and many believed he would have been impeached. But to the surprise of many, the impeachment never took effect in what Duale now attributes to the number of MPs Ruto had that were more than Uhuru’s.
In the same vein, in 2024, after Ruto became president and Gachagua his deputy, their relationship worsened after the 2024 youthful protests and Gachagua was impeached, in what he calls betrayal of the people of the Mount Kenya region.
However, Duale attributes this impeachment to Gachagua’s ethnic politics, noting that even Gachagua’s MP and women’s representative voted in favour of his impeachment.
The political relationship between Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto has been tumultuous, particularly after the 2018 handshake between Uhuru and Raila Odinga, which sidelined Ruto. Despite speculation about an impeachment, Ruto maintained a significant number of supporters in Parliament, which ultimately prevented any such action. This dynamic has continued to evolve, especially following Ruto’s ascension to the presidency in 2024, where tensions with Gachagua have surfaced, leading to Gachagua’s impeachment amid accusations of betrayal.
