Editor's Review

“I am now more convinced than ever before, that pathological lying is a mental disorder."

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has refuted claims by President William Ruto that he demanded Ksh10 billion in exchange for securing political support in the Mt. Kenya region.  

In an update on Monday evening, March 31, Gachagua dismissed Ruto’s accusations, accusing the President and his team of coming up with the lie. 

“I am now more convinced than ever before, that pathological lying is a mental disorder. The greatest existential threat to our beloved country is outright lying to the people of Kenya without blinking and the failure of a leader to put his team together to harmonize their lies. I weep for my Country, Kenya," he wrote on social media platform X.

File image of Rigathi Gachagua

Gachagua’s remarks came in response to Ruto’s statements during a televised interview on Monday, where he alleged that the former DP had tried to blackmail him.

According to Ruto, Gachagua began targeting him politically after falling out with several Members of Parliament. 

The President claimed that Gachagua had demanded Ksh10 billion, threatening that failure to comply would cost him his re-election in 2027.  

"At some point, I told Rigathi Gachagua to stop fighting the MPs, but he now shifted his fights to me, claiming that he could make me a one-term president if I did not meet his demands. He demanded Ksh10 billion so that he could go talk with the people of the Mt. Kenya region, but I told him I would not do it.

"I told him that if I would only serve for one term, then there is no problem. I told him if he is the one who decides who will serve how many terms, then he was at liberty to make that decision," he said.