Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack on ODM party leader Raila Odinga, accusing him of consistently using the Western Kenya voting bloc to gain political leverage, only to abandon them once in power-sharing deals.
Speaking on Friday, June 4, 2025, during a public rally in Busia as part of the final day of the People’s Loyal Opposition Coalition’s Western tour, Gachagua told the crowd that the Luhya community had been “mistreated and dumped repeatedly” by Raila for decades.
“Nyinyi mnamsaidia, mnampea kura, anatoa fujo, anaingia kwa serikali, halafu anawaacha nyinyi,” Gachagua told residents in a fiery address.
He criticised Raila’s history of post-election handshake politics, saying that each time he joins the government, Western Kenya voters are left behind in opposition with no tangible benefits.
Mount Kenya betrayed
Gachagua, who now leads the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), said the same fate had befallen the Mt Kenya region under President William Ruto’s leadership.
“We from Mt Kenya have also been misused,” he said. “Ruto promised us development but delivered betrayal.”
He painted a picture of shared political betrayal, claiming that both the Mulembe nation and Mt Kenya had become political pawns in larger deals between national power brokers.
“Ruto and Raila have now joined hands. So what becomes of us who were used and dumped?” he asked.
Warning on leadership
Gachagua further warned the Luhya community against following leaders like Raila, who, he said, had already “thrown out” key Western leaders from his inner circle.
He cited former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, now serving as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UNON and UNEP, as one of the casualties of political betrayal.
“Raila has chased away even those close to him. Today he claims all Luhyas are his, yet he has shown them nothing but disrespect,” Gachagua said.
He urged the region to consider new alliances, hinting at a Mt Kenya-Western Kenya coalition that would chart its own course in the 2027 election.
Gachagua’s remarks came on the heels of the Western tour by opposition leaders including Kalonzo Musyoka, Eugene Wamalwa, Fred Matiang’i, and George Natembeya.
The Busia rally marked a critical moment in the coalition’s effort to unify Kenyans against what they call a two-manpower monopoly.
