Gachagua Reveals How He Helped Justin Muturi Retain His Cabinet Post Amid Clash With Ruto

By Linet Amuli - Reporter

Kenya, 8 November 2025 - Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has disclosed details of a tense standoff that reportedly took place at State House during the naming of the second batch of Cabinet appointees following the 2024 Gen-Z protests.

Gachagua said he personally intervened to ensure that former Attorney General Justin Muturi retained his position in President William Ruto’s administration.

Speaking during the launch of Muturi’s new book in Nairobi on Friday, Gachagua recounted a heated disagreement with President Ruto over the final Cabinet lineup.

According to him, the president had asked him and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to accompany him during the official announcement, but he declined to do so before reviewing the final list.

“In the first draft, there was no one from Embu, and I raised that issue,” Gachagua told the audience.

“When the president later called us to stand with him for the announcement, I said I couldn’t go without knowing who was on the list. How could we stand there not knowing what we were presenting?” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

He narrated that his insistence appeared to anger the president, who momentarily left the room before returning visibly upset.

“Ruto came back and threw the list at me,” Gachagua recounted.

“When I checked, I saw that JB Muturi’s name had been removed and replaced with another recommended by Cecily Mbarire. I told him I could not endorse that.”

The former deputy president said the exchange became heated, with Ruto accusing him of tribal bias.

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“He told me, ‘Rigathi, you’re being tribal,’” Gachagua said.

“After a moment of silence, he eventually said, ‘Fine, remove the other name and return JB.’”

Gachagua added that he had warned the president that he would publicly distance himself from the Cabinet announcement if Muturi’s name was not reinstated.

“I told him I would walk away in front of the press if he went ahead with the new list. That’s how JB got his job back,” he said to applause from the audience.

He further reflected that his defiance during that incident marked the beginning of a rift between him and the president.

“After that, I was sidelined, and he followed me out,” he said.

The book launch also drew several former government figures, including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Defence CS Eugene Wamalwa, and former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.

Gachagua’s remarks provided a rare window into the internal tensions and power struggles within the Kenya Kwanza administration during a period of political turbulence.