In yet another fiery attack on President William Ruto, ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has sounded the alarm over an alleged plot to remove Chief Justice Martha Koome, warning that such a move will not go unanswered.
Speaking in Meru on Sunday, Gachagua accused the President of orchestrating a judicial purge against Koome for refusing to be his puppet. He declared that should Ruto succeed in pushing out the Chief Justice, he should “never step foot in Meru” again.
“She is being fought because she has refused to be a ‘yes sir’ person,” Gachagua thundered. “If you chase our Martha Koome, don’t set foot in Meru. You chased Rigathi Gachagua, and the Mt. Kenya people were silent—you thought they were cowards.”
Ruto vs. the Judiciary?
The embattled former DP framed the alleged attack on Koome as part of a broader campaign by Ruto to undermine independent institutions. He accused the President of targeting the judiciary to consolidate unchecked power, using the same strong-arm tactics he employed against his own former deputy.
“You fought with me because I am a man. Leave Martha Koome alone—she is a woman. Why are you fighting women? Can you fight your fellow men?” he challenged, portraying Ruto as a leader who bullies his way through political opposition.
A Silent Mt. Kenya Leadership
Gachagua also took aim at elected leaders from Meru, whom he accused of betraying their own by remaining silent while Koome faced attacks. He suggested that MPs and senators had been “bought off” by the State in exchange for their silence.
“Martha Koome is being chased out, and the Senator is silent. All 10 MPs are silent. What is happening to the people of Meru? These are the descendants of the Mau Mau. What has happened to the leadership of Meru?” he asked.
The former DP, who has been on a relentless warpath against Ruto since his impeachment in October 2024, vowed to mobilize residents to take to the streets should Koome be ousted.
“This woman (Koome) is being targeted. If she is removed, I will blow the whistle and we will flood the streets! Are you ready to come out?” he asked an energized crowd.
The Mt. Kenya Reckoning
Gachagua framed the unfolding political war as part of a larger betrayal of the Mt. Kenya region by Ruto. He accused the President of using the region as a stepping stone to power, only to discard it once in office.
“You have used us like tissue paper,” he said, branding Ruto’s leadership as exploitative. “We elected you, and now you have turned against us. But God will not allow you to finish this community.”
The former DP has been on a crusade to position himself as the defender of Mt. Kenya’s political interests, leveraging growing discontent over taxation, governance failures, and perceived sidelining of the region in Ruto’s administration.
With 2027 on the horizon, Gachagua’s warning is clear: any attack on the judiciary—and especially on CJ Koome—will be seen as an attack on Mt. Kenya. The battle lines have been drawn, and the war drums are beating louder than ever.
Will Ruto heed the warning, or is a full-blown political showdown inevitable?
