Gachagua labels President Ruto 'extremely confused' on Gen Z crisis

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says President William Ruto is a confused Head of State who does not fully understand the challenges facing the country.

Gachagua, who is on a tour of America, accused the President of deflecting rather than addressing concerns raised by the youth.

His remarks came days after President Ruto told parents of Gen Zs that the police are not responsible for raising their children.

“He is a very confused person, extremely confused. When the Gen Z protests began in 2024, he called it an attempted coup. Then he blamed NGOs, then the Ford Foundation. Recently, he said it was the church; then the opposition; and just this Sunday, he blamed the parents for poor parenting. William Ruto, can you make up your mind on what ails the country!” Gachagua said.

As leaders allied to the government back home continue to label recent Gen Z demonstrations as politically instigated by Gachagua and his allies, the former DP says the leaders are trying to run from the real issues.

“Instead of listening to the Gen Z on the issues they are highlighting, such as abductions, the President says these young people have been incited by Riggy G and former President Uhuru Kenyatta. It seems the President is out of touch with the real problems in Kenya—he has given seven different reasons so far,” stated Gachagua.

The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader dismissed accusations of political incitement levelled against him and opposition leaders as a tactic to delegitimise the Gen Z protests, pointing to the government’s failure to address the core issues.

“It is simply because the President does not want to accept that he has lost direction. He refuses to acknowledge the real problems and instead blames political incitement,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Dorcas Rigathi, the former deputy president’s spouse, has hit back at leaders making demeaning remarks about her.

She said, “They say I have ‘sat on him’. How can I sit on someone who is causing sleepless nights for the whole country?”

The former Deputy President was in Dracut, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, as he continues to engage with the diaspora community in America.