- Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua ignored Dennis Itumbi’s claims, refusing to be involved in the allegations about his conduct
- Gachagua said responding to Itumbi would be below his status, insisting that he would only deal with issues concerning President William Ruto
- The latest talks add to a long-running feud that has continued since Gachagua’s ouster, with both sides accusing
Former vice president Rigathi Gachagua has fired the Head of Special Projects of the President and the Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi, refusing to be involved in the allegations made against him.
Source: Facebook
Gachagua was speaking on Friday, March 27, during an interview on THEE ALFA HOUSE and Iko Nini podcasts, where he was pressed to answer the accusations attributed to Itumbi about his behavior while in government.
Did Gachagua refuse to answer Itumbi’s claims?
The interviewer raised a series of allegations that have followed the former vice president, including allegations of confrontational behavior during his tenure and reports that he clashed with lower-level staff.
They referred to the remarks of Itumbi, who had allegedly portrayed Gachagua as a petty person with a tendency to conflict even with lower level officials.
However, Gachagua refused to address the allegations directly, insisting that cooperating with Itumbi would be beneath his current political status.
“I cannot discuss Itumbi, that is a very young blogger. I cannot discuss Itumbi. I think it is disrespectful to even ask me to discuss Itumbi. I am a presidential candidate. I can only talk about William Ruto, my competitor. I think it is inappropriate to ask me to talk about palace bloggers,” he said.
How deep is the conflict between Gachagua and Itumbi?
His remarks underscore the conflict between the two, which had played out publicly and behind the scenes before and after Gachagua’s ouster in October 2024.
The former deputy commander’s recent remarks are part of a broader, long-running feud marked by sharp accusations from both sides.
Following Gachagua’s removal, Itumbi repeatedly challenged Gachagua’s narrative about his role in government, particularly regarding decisions made during Cabinet meetings.
In one case, Gachagua claimed he stood alone against the proposal to sell Bomas of Kenya, describing himself as the only leader ready to defend the nation’s heritage.
But Itumbi disputed the claims, saying that official Cabinet records tell a different story, claiming that digitized records show that Gachagua rarely contributed during meetings and did not oppose the upgrade of the facility as claimed.
Source: Facebook
Gachagua also previously claimed that Itumbi, together with the president’s assistant Farouk Kibet, had great influence in the government, even suggesting that important decisions and official communications were being conducted from behind the scenes.
On the other hand, Itumbi has portrayed Gachagua as a leader who showed tenacity in public but behaved differently in private, citing conflicts and disagreements in the past about the political message.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
