President William Ruto has publicly detailed the breakdown of his relationship with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, citing a series of internal disputes and conflicting leadership approaches that ultimately led to their bitter fallout.

In a candid media interview on Monday, March 31, 2025, Ruto laid bare the events that eroded their once-solid partnership.

According to Ruto, the troubles began shortly after they took office, with Gachagua frequently embroiled in petty grievances against individuals within the administration, distracting from their core mission.

Here are five key points Ruto highlighted:

1. Constant Internal Disputes

Ruto described a pattern of Gachagua engaging in daily conflicts with junior officials and bloggers.

“After the elections, we began working. Three things happened. First, there were cases every day, like ‘Oh, Itumbi has said something, or I don’t know what he has written.’ I called Itumbi, and we dealt with the case. After a week, Farouk Kibet, the PA, a junior person, ‘has done something,’ so we dealt with the case. Then, little by little, ‘Ndindi Nyoro has done something, he has called a meeting in Kiharu, I don’t know if he has organized MPs, why has he gathered so many MPs?’ I called Ndindi Nyoro, and we dealt with the case. After that, I don’t know what Kimani Ichung’wah had done,” Ruto recounted.

2. Focus on Petty Grievances

Ruto expressed frustration over Gachagua’s preoccupation with minor issues.

“So, I asked him, ‘You are the Deputy President, why are you getting into conflicts with this blogger? Why are you getting involved with a mere PA, a very junior person? Why are you getting into issues with these young men?’ I told him, ‘Please, let’s focus on the work for Kenyans,’” Ruto explained.

3. Conflicts with Members of Parliament

The President revealed that Gachagua’s conflicts extended to members of parliament.

“Later, he started fights with MPs, telling them that if they did not kneel before him, they would be sent home before December. And the MPs told him that before December, they would deal with him,” Ruto stated.

4. Failure to Promote Government Initiatives

Ruto criticized Gachagua’s lack of public engagement in promoting government programs.

“The job of the Deputy President is to assist the President. When I was Deputy to Uhuru Kenyatta, I went to more TV stations than the President because it is the Deputy’s job to profile the country’s development. Have you ever seen Gachagua going to TV stations to talk about roads, electricity, or the UHC program even once? For two years, he never stepped into media houses or in public to speak about government initiatives,” Ruto shared.

5. Threats and Financial Demands

President Ruto also revealed that former deputy Gachagua once threatened to limit his presidency to a single term during their leadership standoff.

The head of state claimed that the former second-in-command demanded a Ksh10 billion payout when trouble started brewing in their paradise.

“Gachagua told me that I would be a one-term President if I did not meet certain conditions. He asked for Ksh10 billion to talk to the Mt Kenya region,” Ruto claimed.

“I told him I would not do it. I told him if it’s one term, it’s okay if you’re the one to decide. So the MPs started a war,” he added.

Ruto revealed that the demands for money were among some of the genesis of the fallout between him and his Deputy.

Ruto’s candid disclosures underscore the deep divisions that have emerged within the ruling coalition, setting the stage for a potentially turbulent presidential tour.