Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah has challenged Rigathi Gachagua to explain what he achieved while serving as deputy president before questioning the performance of the administration he helped run.
The National Assembly Majority Leader said Gachagua was part of President William Ruto’s government for two years and was involved in key decision-making before his removal from office.
Ichung’wah said it was therefore unfair for the former deputy president to assess the government’s four-year record without also accounting for his own contribution during his time in office.
“He is attempting to take stock of the four years of the Ruto administration, an administration that he served for a record two years of those four years,” Ichung’wah said.
“He sat in Cabinet. He sat in National Security Council meetings, and he defended this government, its policies and its record.”
Ichung’wah said Gachagua’s tenure should also come under scrutiny, asking him to point to specific achievements that can be linked to his time as deputy president.
“Perhaps we should also ask, what did Gachagua do in the two years that he served this country as the Deputy President?” he posed.
“What transformative national programme bears his name? What economic reform did he design? What national institution did he build? What lasting policy did he leave behind? What was his great idea for Kenya? And I dare ask, what is your great idea for Kenya today, Gachagua?”
The remarks came as MPs responded to Gachagua’s assessment of the Kenya Kwanza administration, with Ichung’wah defending the government’s record across several sectors.
He pointed to agriculture, saying the government had expanded access to subsidised fertiliser, helping farmers reduce production costs and contributing to the recovery of food production.
“Millions of farmers today have access to subsidised fertiliser, which has lowered their cost of production and helped restore national food production,” Ichung’wah said.
He also cited the lower retail price of maize flour as evidence of changes in the food and agriculture sector.
The Majority Leader turned to healthcare, where he highlighted the rollout of the Social Health Authority and the expansion of primary healthcare services through Community Health Promoters.
“Universal health coverage has moved from a promise discussed by successive regimes and administrations into an actual national system being implemented across the country,” he said.
Ichung’wah also defended the Affordable Housing Programme, saying it was benefiting those who qualify for the houses while creating opportunities for workers involved in construction.
The Hustler Fund was another programme he cited, saying government initiatives were helping increase access to affordable credit and supporting small businesses.
He added that young people had benefited from entrepreneurship training, certification and enterprise support, while labour mobility agreements had created opportunities for employment outside Kenya.
On infrastructure, Ichung’wah said the government was pursuing new ways of raising money for major projects, including mechanisms designed to attract private and long-term capital.
He said the approach would help finance roads, railways, dams and electricity transmission projects while reducing dependence on direct borrowing and taxation to fund major infrastructure developments.
Ichung’wah maintained that the broad-based government had also introduced structural changes that would form part of its record when Kenyans assess its performance.
He said the administration was prepared to face voters and be judged on its record ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“We have said Kenyans will judge this administration at the end of next year, this term next year in August,” he said.
The Majority Leader also accused Gachagua of approaching national politics through an ethnic and political lens instead of putting forward an alternative national agenda.
He rejected the idea of treating Kenya as a country where political communities are entitled to a share of national resources depending on their voting patterns.
“Kenya rejected that philosophy. The Constitution rejected that philosophy of shareholding, and ultimately Parliament rejected the politics that accompanied it,” he said.