Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of betraying a pact they made before taking office in 2022.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his discharge from Karen Hospital, Gachagua painted a picture of deep betrayal and ongoing persecution.

He revealed that his trust in Ruto, once solid, has been shattered after what he described as a year-long storm of oppression and harassment.

During his address, Gachagua recounted two alleged assassination attempts that occurred before his impeachment was brought to parliament.

He claimed that on August 30th, undercover agents entered his room in Kisumu and tried to poison his food, but the plot was uncovered in time, allowing him to escape.

A similar incident, he said, occurred in Nyeri on September 3rd when food meant for him and Kikuyu elders was also poisoned.

He reported the matter to the National Intelligence Service (NIS), leading him to remove the officers assigned to his security detail.

Gachagua expressed his profound disappointment in the President, saying he did not demand a formal pre-election agreement like other Kenya Kwanza leaders.

Instead, he had placed his faith in Ruto, driven by their shared Christian values and church-going fellowship.

“I believed as Christians, he would never betray me or the people of Mt. Kenya,” he lamented.

For the past year, Gachagua says he has endured intense pressure and persecution. He described his recent health scare, noting that close allies of the President had allegedly inquired about his condition with seemingly malicious intent.

“I heard many were calling the hospital, asking if I was dead if I survived. They were celebrating,” he revealed.

Drawing a parallel between his experience and that of political leader Kenneth Matiba during President Moi’s regime.

Gachagua suggested that Ruto’s actions were reminiscent of how Matiba was pushed to the brink of illness and death.

He described the treatment he received as dehumanizing, comparing it to being “crippled” and “treated like an animal.”

Gachagua believes his bold stance on key national issues, such as opposing the eviction of people from riparian land in Nairobi and resisting the lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to an Indian firm, is what led to his current persecution.

Despite the challenges, he remains resolute, insisting that he is being targeted for speaking truth to power.