KENYA : Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has Continued his onslaught of President William Ruto's administration, claiming that the head of state offered him Ksh 2 billion to resign.
Speaking during an interview with Western radio stations, On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Gachagua said the President told him he would have a security detail, receive a salary, and would have a chance to run for a political seat in the future.
“The President told me, 'just resign, and I will give you two billion shillings so you can go home, rest, do your own things, have security, receive a salary, and you can run again for office in the future,” said Gachagua.
The former DP mentioned that even MPs supporting him had asked him to resign so that he could have a chance to vie for a political seat in the future.
Gachagua, said he turned down the offer from President Ruto as he was not willing to listen to someone who was plotting against him.
“I asked myself, can someone who is plotting against you offer you a solution on how to live? If you see someone planning bad things for you, the path they tell you to take is the one you should avoid,” he stated.
At the same time, Gachagua said he is not a self-centered person who is interested in running for office.
"The idea that if I am removed, I won't run for office again means nothing to me. You know, people think I am someone who is overly self-centered, but it's not necessary for me to hold any position in this Republic of Kenya,” Gachagua added.
Rigathi Gachagua was impeached on October 8, 2024, by the National Assembly on grounds of money laundering and gross misconduct among other allegations.
The Former Deputy President also told off Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa after he asserted they would recall Gachagua to UDA ahead of the 2027 general election.
Gachagua said Barasa was an arrogant young lawmaker engaging in unnecessary talk.
The former Deputy President noted that he is a national leader with millions of followers.
"Those are just young people who are arrogant and engage in unnecessary talk. I am not in the same age group as that young man, I am a national leader with millions of supporters,” said Gachagua.
He went on to say that the President William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza government is stuck after losing support in the Mt Kenya region.
"They had said that if they removed me, within two weeks, people would have forgotten, but the entire Mt Kenya is gone. They are very frustrated, and that’s why you saw the president was very angry while in Western, insulting me, attacking me, and calling me a tribalist,” Gachagua added.