Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has bashed President William Ruto, accusing him of failing in his pre-election campaign promises, to the people of Meru.

Mr. Gachagua, who stated that they were now weary of Ruto’s deception, warned Meru residents against falling for his empty promises, urging them to reject his claims of prioritising their community if they agreed to support him.

The former Dp, alleged that the head of state has not initiated any development project in the region since his ascension to power, adding that Ruto’s only 'project' in the region is his hotel, under construction near Meru town and a portion of tarmac road surrounding it.

"Kule Meru, mradi ya Ruto ni hoteli yake anajenga hapo karibu na town. Na lami anaweka hapo tu ikizunguka hoteli yake. Hakuna mahali ingine." said Gachagua.

Turning his guns on the president’s finances, Gachagua challenged the legitimacy of Ruto’s sudden generosity, alleging that he had looted billions from state coffers and stashed the money in sacks, which he was now using as bait to buy back political favour.

Meanwhile, Earlier this year the Former Deputy President cautioned Meru residents against entertaining invitations from President Ruto, to visit him in Karen or accepting any of the handouts he doles out in a bid to win them over.

Gachagua, speaking in Igembe North on February, branded the money Ruto was distributing as blood-stained wealth, acquired at the cost of massacred Gen Z protesters.

Gachagua, who urged Meru locals to sever any political ties with the president, further asserted that the funds Ruto was dispensing were nothing more than taxpayer money that should have been channelled into crucial services such as purchasing medicine for hospitals instead of being used as bribes to sway political allegiance.

“You don’t need a meeting in Nairobi to kujua mambo ya Meru. Na hii maneno ya kuhonga watu, ile pesa anapeana pale ni ile ya kununua madawa kuliko mnunue madawa mweke kwa mahospitali mnachukua pesa ya madawa mnahonga viongozi. Na mimi nataka niambie nyinyi watu wa Meru, yule ambaye anachukua hiyo pesa, hiyo pesa imelaaniwa iko na damu ya Gen Z. Si hawa ndio walisimamia Gen Z ikiuawa, si waliuwa watoto wetu. Si wako na damu ya watoto wetu wa Gen Z, si hii ni pesa ya kununua madawa hospitali.” he said.

This is not the first time the former Dp has taken the 'bull by it's horns. Recently he slammed the Kenya-Kwanza administration's flagship Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), claiming it has become an empty slogan.

In a statement on Monday, May 12, Gachagua stated that President William Ruto's administration has failed in it's pre-election promises- to uplift the lives of the common citizenry.

Gachagua, who made the remarks in a press release announcing his exit from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party, accused the ruling party of betraying the hopes of Kenyans and abandoning the promises that propelled it to power.

"We promised to lift Kenyans from the bottom of the economic pyramid; this was an inclusive economic model that millions of Kenyans believed in. We signed economic charters with all the counties and various professional bodies. It is, however, disturbing that the Kenya Kwanza rogue Administration is still searching for these charters on their dusty shelves." said Gachagua.

The former DP, criticised several government initiatives, including President William Ruto’s Hustler Fund Initiative, which he said had offered little more than tokenism to struggling Kenyans.

"The Hustler Fund: the dream for the Hustler Fund, as it were, was to lift Kenyans at the bottom of the economic pyramid. What business can Kshs. 500 start sustainably?" he quiped.

Gachagua further lamented the deterioration of key sectors central to the party’s economic plan, claiming that agriculture, housing, healthcare, and the digital economy had been turned into avenues of corruption.

On housing, the former DP said the administration had turned the dream of affordable homes into a punitive tax burden on workers, eroding their hard-earned incomes.

Gachagua also criticized the state of the healthcare system, calling it a failed business venture with no commitment to affordable healthcare.