In October 2023, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua declared that him and his boss President William Ruto were joined at the hip and dismissed reports of a possible split. Fast forward to June 2024, the rift between the president and his deputy in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is widening. As Ruto marks close to two years in office, the vicious wars in his UDA point to a house standing on a shaky political ground, contrary to the picture of a solid foundation that was presented to the public.
The running promise from Ruto and Gachagua to end the "politics of witch hunt and weaponisation of the police against individuals who hold divergent political views" seems to have been hot air and they seem to be doing exactly that. The duo spared no efforts in criticising then-president Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee administration for the working arrangement with ODM leader Raila Odinga after the March 2018 handshake. Today, pundits agree that the emerging rift in UDA mirrors Ruto's political career which has been characterised by controversy despite always emerging victorious amidst the turmoil.
As ODM deputy leader where his peer was Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Ruto, in 2008, was at the centre of the divisions that threatened to tear apart the party. By the end of 2008, it was clear that he was fishing for a new political outfit. He set eyes on General (Rtd) John Koech's United Democratic Movement (UDM).
Protracted differences, however, caused him to abandon the m.
