Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua became a political punching bag on Tuesday evening after images of him boarding a commercial jet with his bags leaked online.
The second-in-command was photographed boarding a Kenya Airways flight to attend the International Scientific Conference in Mombasa, which has since been regarded as an unnecessary distraction.
A number of leaders then went online to bash Gachagua, albeit in quiet tones, expressing angry views about the decision and even referring to him as an attention seeker.
National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah wrote on X “Neither President @WilliamsRuto nor the Government of Kenya or Members of Parliament will succumb to blackmail.”
He added: “No amount of sympathy seeking photos, vernacular stations campaigns, social media blogging troops will handover billions to satisfy anyone’s insatiable greed for power and money.”
Oscar Sudi, a Kapseret Member of Parliament, fired a low-key swipe at the ruse, stating that if one can seek guidance from former Nyeri MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, a leader known to be friendly with Gachagua, “just know you are doomed. It is better to be advised by a class 2 child”.
“If you find yourself depending on @ngunjiriwambugu as your advisor, then just know you are doomed. It is better to be advised by a class 2 child,” Sudi wrote on X.
His Kimilili counterpart Didmus Barasa also joined in, claiming that President William Ruto has always boarded commercial planes and has never attempted to draw public attention by posting pictures online.
“Huyu a first commercial flight paid for by taxpayers and escorted in new high-end landcruisers to the airside, is craving for sympathy. Bure kabisa! NO BLACKMAIL,” he wrote on X.
The political muddle lies on the backdrop of a speculated rift between the President and his deputy, many claiming that Gachagua’s ties with the ruling party are running weary and his popularity in his home turf, the Mt.Kenya region, is even getting hazy.
Gachagua has been on the receiving end over his unwelcome sentiments on tribal politics in his continued indulgence in the Mt Kenya supremacy battles.
The latter has even prompted President Ruto to issue a directive on leaders to steer clear of tribal politics.
Leaders across the nation have joined the ridicule trail against Gachagua, saying that stirring political rift based on ethnicity will have grave ramifications in a developed democracy.
