Kenyan vice president hit by storm

Kenya’s embattled Vice President Ligasi Gachagua calls himself a “man of truth” and attributes his remarkable rise to the fact that he speaks truth to power.

But he, who is facing impeachment proceedings, says these issues are also a result of his outspoken personality.

Before he was elected to parliament in 2017, little was known about the man who would rise to become Kenya’s second-in-command in five short years.

Few people outside Gachagua’s Central Kenya constituency had heard of him or his style of politics.

Gachagua came into the limelight in the run-up to the 2022 election by vehemently opposing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s choice of successor.

Kenyatta campaigned extensively for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

But Mr Gachagua allied himself with Mr Kenyatta’s deputy at the time, William Ruto, who was eyeing the presidency because his boss did not want him to bequeath it.

At political rallies and in the media, Gachagua lashed out at Kenyatta in terms that would make other politicians cringe.

“Please don’t kill me like your father killed JM Kariuki,” he said at a rally in July 2022. He was killed in 1975 during the regime of Jomo Kenyatta, the first president and father of Uhuru Kenyatta. He mentioned the members of parliament who were .

To date, no one has been convicted in Kariuki’s death.

Before he was sworn in as Kenya’s vice president, police raided Gachagua’s home and arrested him in connection with corruption and money laundering cases. The charges were dropped after he and Ruto came to power after the 2022 elections.

He gained support in Mt Kenya, the country’s largest voting bloc, and contributed to Ruto’s victory. Gachagua and Kenyatta both come from there. Mr Kenyatta tried unsuccessfully to rally voters in Mount Kenya to support Mr Odinga.

Long before Kenyatta became president in 2013, Gachagua worked closely with Kenyatta, including serving as his personal assistant for five years.

However, after teaming up with Ruto, Gachagua went from being Kenyatta’s “confidants” to being one of Kenyatta’s harshest critics.

However, after falling out with his current boss, Gachagua apologized to Kenyatta, saying he was “stupid” for “fighting my own brother”.

This humility is in sharp contrast to his rhetoric as Ruto’s vice-presidential candidate, with analyst Javas Bigamo calling Gachagua “a strong candidate for Ruto to take on President Kenyatta in the central region.” “The feared political bulldog we needed.”

Gachagua was praised as an excellent mobiliser who had the ear of the common people on the ground.

But given that Gachagua has only been in politics for five years and was up against a more experienced candidate, he probably expected many to take the vice position. It wasn’t a person.

Ruto explained that he chose Gachagua because “he is one of the leaders who is passionate about the common people.”

Political expert Bobby Mukangi previously told the BBC that Gachagua’s ability to negotiate his way to the top was “considerable”, “given the other names who have reached the top and are known nationally”. That’s what he said.

But after just two years in power, Gachagua appears to have lost his ability to do so, with Gachagua at odds with the president and many lawmakers calling for his removal from office.

He is accused of corruption, money laundering, gross misconduct, disobedience and bullying of public officials, and six other counts of misconduct.

As the motion was tabled in parliament on Tuesday, MP Mwengi Mutuse, who introduced the motion, said 291 out of 349 MPs had signed a letter calling for Gachagua’s removal from office.

To impeach him, two-thirds of all members of Congress, or 233 signatures, are required.

Mukangi said the vice president is currently “unable to solidify the support of his base and the politicians around him.”

Gachagua has always been accused of being brash and aggressive, which was one of the reasons some opposed his selection as vice presidential candidate ahead of the 2022 election. However, this criticism has increased in recent months.

He rejects this assessment of his character, as well as claims that he is alienating his fellow politicians.

He says all he does is “speak the truth”, which he claims has become unpopular within certain political factions.

“I will not compromise my principles,” he said over the weekend amid growing calls for impeachment.

Mr. Gachagua often identifies himself as the child of Mau Mau freedom fighters who fought against British colonial rule.

He was born in 1965 to parents who were well known for their participation in the struggle for freedom. Gachagua said his father manufactured and maintained guns, and his mother was a courier delivering ammunition and food to fighters.

His lineage paints him as a champion of the people of central Kenya, many of whom are descendants of independence struggle icons who still continue to fight for economic freedom.

A popular catchphrase associated with the Vice President is “Don’t touch the mountain”, a reference to the Vice President’s support base in the Mount Kenya region. However, he has been accused of promoting tribalism rather than being a unifier.

But Mr Gachagua defended himself, saying speaking for Kenya’s central region was not the same as antagonizing other communities.

Before entering politics, Gachagua had a long career.

After graduating from university, he started working as a government administrator and as a district officer in various parts of the country.

The district administrator at the time, under President Daniel arap Moi, was known to be overbearing. It’s an accusation he can’t let go of, including his current situation.

He worked as Kenyatta’s personal aide from 2001 to 2006. At the time, Kenyatta was a minister, presidential candidate, and later opposition leader.

Gachagua is a wealthy politician who has made his fortune through business over the years. He is married to Dorcas, a pastor, and they have two adult sons.

In 2017, he contested the Matira constituency seat and won the seat previously held by his brother Nderitu Gachagua.

It was around this time that Gachagua’s hot-blooded personality and political skills began to attract attention.

However, both before and after becoming vice president, his public statements have sometimes been viewed as blunders or outright disgrace.

He said last year that the government is like a stock holding company and that those who voted for the current government deserve government appointments and contracts.

Senator Danson Mngatana said last week that Mr Gachagua’s words had “alienated some Kenyans and created and continues to exacerbate ethnic tensions”.

Although Gachagua has often defended himself, he ultimately acknowledged that the same thing that brought him to the top may be his downfall: the way he uses words.