Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has revealed why he still keeps photos of President William Ruto in his home, despite their broken political relationship.
Speaking during a YouTube interview on Friday night, Gachagua said the photos remain on his walls as a reminder of what he described as betrayal by the President.
He explained that Ruto was once a frequent visitor to his home, and his wife, Pastor Dorcas, would often prepare meals for him.
According to Gachagua, the decision to keep the photos was deliberate, meant to constantly remind him not to trust people blindly.
"William Ruto was a frequent visitor to this home. Pastor Dorcas has cooked for him many times as he sought my friendship and support. The pictures have been there. I made a decision to let them stay there because they are a constant reminder of betrayal,” he explained.
“When I see him, a man who came here many times, calling and eating here, staying for long, asking me to call people for him to talk to, and then he betrayed me in such a vicious manner, I decided that his picture should stay there so that when I come in I see him and remember about the betrayal," he added.
Gachagua said the experience taught him a valuable lesson: never to rely on verbal agreements when making important political decisions.
He admitted that during the 2022 campaigns, he trusted the President and never insisted on any written agreement, a mistake he now regrets.
The former DP added that the absence of any formal deal left him without proof to fall back on when he felt shortchanged.
At the same time, Gachagua claimed that President Ruto used to show up at his home “crying and begging for help”.
The former Mathira MP said he joined Ruto’s camp out of sympathy, believing in his word and loyalty. He said there was no written agreement between them.
"I had no single document on the agreement. The guy would come here and cry real tears, 'My brother, please help me, I am a Christian, I am a good man, help me,' and out of sympathy, I said okay," Gachagua said.
He explained that Ruto was attracted to his support largely because of the strong relationship he had with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"You know I was a great friend of Uhuru Kenyatta; I was his PA, and at one point he felt that I was under so much pressure to go back to Uhuru, and he knew that if I left him, he was done," Gachagua said.
Gachagua and Kenyatta were once close allies, bound by their shared roots and political interests in the Mt Kenya region. But the two fell out after the 2017 elections when Kenyatta began to distance himself from Ruto.
At the same time, Gachagua backed Ruto during his clash with Kenyatta, accusing the former president of being hostile towards Ruto and his allies soon after starting his second term.
In his latest remarks, Gachagua claimed he never imagined their alliance with Ruto would fall apart and now says he feels betrayed.
"But I can tell you, if there is a deceptive guy, then it's him. He made me abandon my brother and kinsman Uhuru Kenyatta, a man I had worked with for many years, then he conned me through deception," he said.
