Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says he will not allow attempts to drive a wedge between him and President William Ruto.
Speaking on Saturday Gachagua said he was focused on delivering on all the mandates given to him by the President, including reforms in the agricultural sector such as coffee, tea, macadamia nuts, dairy, and avocados.
“The President and I are focused. I am loyal and I am supporting the president to achieve his agenda. The coffee debt of Sh6.9 billion has been written off by the government, the price of macadamia nuts has risen from Sh30 to Sh130 per kilogram and reforms in the avocado fruit sector are underway. The dairy sector is also being rationalized. We remain focused with President Ruto to drive the development agenda,” he said.
The Deputy President also claimed that there was a plan by people who opposed President Ruto’s election to destabilize the presidency through political divisions. But he said the plan would fail.
In his remarks, he urged critics of his push for unity and equitable distribution of national resources to stop confusing it with negative tribalism, adding that he is also a peacemaker.
Gachagua has also said that his decision to work with leaders including those from the opposition Azimio coalition in the Mount Kenya region and retired President Uhuru Kenyatta is aimed at strengthening national unity.
He explained that his bid is to ensure that there is equity in national development across the country and to consolidate the Mt Kenya region behind President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 elections.
“When we call for our unity, people should not equate our call for unity with tribalism. We are calling for unity because we have learnt from the mistakes of division in the past. When we call for equity in the distribution of national resources, it is to ensure that there is equal development in all parts of the country and that no region is left behind,” he said.
The Deputy President went on to say that he would not allow internal forces that seek to destabilize the government through divisive politics to succeed in their mission.
Without naming names, the Deputy President added that some of his critics in government contributed little to President Ruto’s election and did not deliver votes in their backyards to the Kenya Kwanza basket.
