President William Ruto has accused his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua of being an extortionist who charges politicians for the privilege of speaking at his rallies.
Ruto made the remarks in Nyamira County on Sunday as he began a three-day tour of Gusii land. He said Gachagua has been accusing him of paying people to attend his rallies, but insisted that Gachagua is the bigger conman of the two.
According to the President, Gachagua demands Sh50,000 from anyone who wants to hold a microphone at his meetings.
“Wewe Mr Texas, unasema nalipa watu kukuja kwa mkutano, wewe unacharge Ksh 50,000 mtu kushika microphone kwa mikutano yako, you are the chief extortionists,” Ruto said.
The President was responding to Gachagua, who had earlier on Sunday urged the Gusii community to demand Sh2,000 each for attending Ruto’s rally.
Gachagua claimed Ruto had set aside a budget of Sh300 million to spend on getting Gusii residents to attend his meetings.
Ruto has not presented any evidence of the Sh50,000 charge, and there has been no response from Gachagua to the extortion claim at the time of writing. The exchange is the latest in a war of words between the two men, as both camps compete for support across the country ahead of the 2027 election.
