State House has responded to claims of bad blood between President William Ruto and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua with a section of the press reporting that the DP’s absence at key state functions could be linked to the same.
State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed clarified that contrary to the reports, there is no feud with the Head of State and his deputy are working in harmony.
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Mahamed issued the clarification during a press briefing on Sunday, May 19, 2024 and redirected any further questions to Gachagua's communications teams.
Hussein Mohamed redirects any further questions to Gachagua's communications teams
He made the remarks while responding to a question from a journalist who sought clarity on the reports which came at a time when the President is set to depart for a State Visit in the United States beginning next week.
"Now that you asked about the President and the deputy president, to my knowledge, there is no issue. The Deputy President's Office is an office with all the capabilities and competencies," Mohamed clarified.
"If you want to ask any question or find out anything about the Deputy President, they have all the capabilities and you can find out anything about the Deputy President, they have all the capabilities and you can find whatever information you need there." He added.
DP Gachagua makes public appearance after skipping 11 events & going silent on social media
Reports of a fallout surfaced over the weekend after it emerged that the DP has skipped several state functions.
DP Gachagua’s social media pages were also unusually quiet, sparking interest from netizens.
He was missing in action as President Ruto hosted his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, including at a joint address by the two leaders that was also attended by the cabinet.
Gachagua was also absent when President Museveni left the country at the end of the state visit, as was the case when President Ruto jetted back from Kigali, Rwanda.
The tree planting event in Murang’a that was presided over by the president is also an event that reports indicate was given a wide berth by the DP.
After days of missing in action, DP Gachagua made a public appearance on Sunday, May 19, 2024, attending a church service in Kieni.