United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party Secretary General Cleophas Malala now says that President William Ruto will maintain Rigathi Gachagua as his deputy until 2032.

Malala’s sentiments comes in the wake of a heightened succession politics in Mt Kenya region, with political commentators and electorates flaunting Rigathi and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro’s names as the next kingpin.

According to Malala, the proposal for President Ruto to drop Gachagua as his running-mate in the 2022 Presidential Election is far-fetched and a non-issue at this point.

“That [Ndindi Nyoro] is a strong member of UDA and he is a leader of the future but what we are asking for is patience we focus on our agenda. For now, Ruto and Gachagua is till 2032,” Malala said in an interview with Radio Citizen on Wednesday, January 24.

He insisted that the Kenya Kwanza Alliance have 100 percent faith in the Ruto-Gachagua duo.

“We have a lot of confidence in Ruto and also a lot of confidence in Gachagua and we don’t want to see people disrespecting him. We have decided that we are concentrating on working. This is a man made of steel and we believe in his leadership together with the president,” Malala added.

Gachagua-Nyoro Supremacy battle

Earlier this month, a section of UDA lawmakers publicly endorsed MP Nyoro to succeed President Ruto in 2032, insisting that Gachagua is not the man to take over the mantle.

They even advised Nyoro to start positioning himself by going around the country “greeting” Kenyans.

“Start visiting every constituency like my constituency Belgut and Sigowet- Soin where we are today doing development and greeting people like when you were campaigning for president Ruto in 2022 and you delivered. At the end of it all Kenyans will see what you have done and reward you probably with a bigger post,” Belgut MP Nelson Koech advised Nyoro during the funeral service of the late Kipkemei Chereng’eti who was the father of Sigowet-Soin MP Justice Kemei.

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga and others have since slammed the MPs over what they term as engaging in “premature” succession politics.

‘Childish politics’

This week, DP Gachagua called for the unity of Mt Kenya region, urging politicians to shun succession politics at this time.

“Let us not be transfixed with childish politics of succession, of elections. We have barely come from elections, one and a half years. People want services. Let us refrain from those issues,” Gachagua said during a meeting with Nyandarua County MCAs at his Karen residence.