Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has intensified his criticism of President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of both political sabotage and dismantling Kenya’s education system. Speaking on Sunday, July 27, 2025, during a community rally with Kenyan professionals in Baltimore, USA, Gachagua reaffirmed that the opposition will not uncover its 2027 presidential candidate any time soon, insisting the “Ruto Must Go” movement is their current focus.
“We are not stupid. If we name the candidate now, Ruto will use courts, propaganda, and the tribal card to crush them before the race even starts,” Gachagua declared. “For now, our candidate is ‘Ruto Must Go,’ and our plan is Wantam—one term only.”
This carefully crafted strategy, according to Gachagua, is designed to outwit the president by denying him the opportunity to mount early attacks on any declared rival. He insisted the delayed disclosure is unsettling President Ruto and forcing him into political discomfort.
Beyond political strategy, Gachagua launched a scathing attack on Ruto’s education policies, accusing the government of wrecking the system that once uplifted millions. “Education is the greatest equaliser, and President William Ruto is destroying the education system to restore it and secure the future of our children. William Ruto must go,” he charged, drawing a rousing applause from the diaspora audience.
He lamented recent budget cuts to free primary and secondary education, warning that the reductions are hurting underprivileged children by denying them access to schooling. Reminding his audience many of whom are beneficiaries of past robust education programs and HELB support, Gachagua painted a dark picture of a regressing education sector.
In a sharp reproach, he called Ruto’s new education financing model “dysfunctional and exclusionary,” saying it has left more students out of classrooms and deepened inequality. “For us to restore the education system and make sure that the future of our children is secured, William Ruto must go,” he reiterated.
Gachagua emphasized that opposition unity remains firm, stating that each coalition leader will campaign and bring their numbers to the negotiation table, with the most favored candidate carrying the flag. He also pledged full support for whoever wins public favor even if it’s not him.
“I’m ready to support whoever the people choose. If it’s not me, I will still give it my all,” he said.
He warned defectors who betray the opposition for political favors that “they will be hanged alive by the people of Kenya,” stating that betrayal for short-term gain would be politically fatal.
Gachagua also claimed that President Ruto is deliberately sowing divisions within the opposition, especially targeting ODM through divide-and-rule tactics. “The president told me he will destroy ODM from within and leave it a pale shadow of itself,” he alleged.
