0
0
Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa has taken a dig at Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, revealing that Gachagua’s selection as President William Ruto’s deputy came about by chance after losing to Kithure Kindiki in an internal vote.
Opening up on the intrigues behind Ruto’s search for a running mate, Barasa claimed that Gachagua, who was then serving as a first-term MP for Mathira, secured only a single vote, with Kindiki sweeping the remaining ones. As a result, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki emerged as the clear choice but ultimately missed out on the opportunity that was handed to Gachagua.
Barasa, speaking in Sirisia, Bungoma county, added that Mount Kenya leaders were given an opportunity to decide who among them would deputize Ruto. The result only affirmed what, according to him, had been known to many. He revealed that Ruto overturned the verdict and convinced the leaders to back Gachagua for the role, defying the initial vote.
Barasa failed to disclose the reasons behind Ruto’s decision to overturn the verdict and proceed with Gachagua. The MP noted that he regrets his decision to back Gachagua, who has now emerged as a champion of the one man-one vote-one shilling revenue-sharing formula, much to the chagrin of Ruto’s allies.
“I have seen how talks are going on, and I am not impressed by the deputy president. Respectfully, I have had the privilege of being with the president since 2017 to date. I want to remind Gachagua that when we were looking for Ruto’s running mate, I was among the leaders who asked Mt Kenya leaders to lock themselves somewhere and decide who would deputize Ruto.
“They decided, and Gachagua got only one vote, but we convinced the leaders to back Gachagua, and Ruto defied the vote that Kindiki had won,” said Barasa.
The revelation appears to suggest that right from the onset, Gachagua lacked the backing of Mount Kenya politicians, further highlighting the significant role Ruto played in his selection as deputy.
