Kenya: No Evidence Kenya's Ex-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua Hinted At Rejoining Government

12 December 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

IN SHORT: Four graphics with logos of different Facebook pages quote former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua as saying he is ready to rejoin the government and work with president William Ruto. However, we found no evidence that he made such remarks.

Four graphics attributing the same quote to former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua are doing the rounds on social media.

In the quote, Gachagua appears to hint at rejoining the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, saying he is ready to work with president William Ruto again.

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"I can join UDA today and have more in influence than some Broadbased politicians. I'm ready to work with Ruto; there are no permanent enemies in politics," the graphics read.

The term "broad-based politicians" refers to politicians from both the government and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party. Ruto included ODM members in his government after anti-government protests in June and July 2024, describing the resulting administration as a "broad-based government".

The graphics, dated 8 December 2025, feature the logos of four Facebook pages - 7 News Global, Channel 7 News, Kenyan Eye and Metros.co.ke - which together boast a total of 3 million followers.

Gachagua served as deputy president from 2022 until his impeachment in October 2024, following a fallout with Ruto. The president and his allies accused Gachagua of corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and undermining the government, among other allegations.

Since the impeachment, the relationship between Gachagua and Ruto has deteriorated, with Gachagua becoming a staunch critic of Ruto and his administration. He has been working with other opposition leaders to challenge Ruto in the 2027 general election.

But is the claim in the graphics true? We checked.

No evidence

Local media closely follow Gachagua's political remarks and extensively report on him and the opposition. Had he made these comments, they would've likely made headlines and sparked widespread debate. However, no reliable sources have reported it.

Gachagua often uses his verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X, to express his views on Ruto's government. On the same day the graphics started circulating, he had accused the government of being "corruption-driven" in some of its decisions.

Gachagua unveiled his new political party, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), in May 2025 after resigning from UDA. It is unlikely he would rejoin his former party while promoting DCP ahead of the 2027 general election. Moreover, there are no credible reports of a political pact between him and Ruto.

We found no evidence to support the claim that Gachagua had hinted at rejoining Ruto's government.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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