Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has clapped back at President William Ruto, after he stated that he will not hand over leadership.

Speaking on Sunday, June 15, Ruto said he will not hand over to individuals he claims have no clear plan for the country and are only obsessed with his ouster from the top-seat.

Ruto criticized the opposition, asserting that they have not presented any tangible agenda for national development.

"Those other people (opposition) have no plan, and we cannot hand over to people who have no plan. Their plan is 'Ruto Must Go', how will that help?" said Ruto.

"They have no idea how the youth will get employment; they have no idea how agriculture will progress or how children will access education," he added.

In response, Gachagua referenced constitutional provisions regarding presidential transition in Kenya.

Gachagua noted that the process is governed by the constitution and does not depend on the outgoing president's discretion.

“I have heard Ruto claim that if he loses, he will not hand over to people who don't have plans; he has done well to acknowledge that he is going to lose." said the former Dp.

"There is no provision for handing over in the Kenyan constitution; what there is is an assumption of office. The newly elected president will not need you to assume office," he added.

Gachagua has vowed that he is ready to make Ruto a one-term president, a first in Kenya’s history.

The former Dp, said his bid to dislodge Ruto from office in 2027 is an effort to redeem the nation from kakistocracy.

President Ruto, meanwhile, has laughed off the threat of an upset. At a separate meeting in Eldoret he recounted predictions that he would never see State House.

“They said I would not be President, now they say I will not win again, wait for 2027, they are not God,” he told farmers gathered for a dairy expo.

Ruto and Gachagua have been at loggerheads following their fallout which led to the latter’s impeachment in October 2024.