The simmering feud between the establishment and the deposed Deputy President has flared up again. Professor Makau Mutua, the sharp-tongued legal scholar and advisor to the "Broad-Based Government," has launched a scathing attack on Rigathi Gachagua, dismissing him as a man devoid of seriousness and unworthy of intelligent attention.

The trigger was a rumor—spread like wildfire on social media—that Mutua had held a secret meeting with Gachagua at a Kiambu restaurant. Mutua’s denial was not a simple correction; it was a demolition. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he termed the reports "false" and ridiculed the very idea of associating with the former DP. "Not a single intelligent soul should take Gachagua seriously," Mutua implied, framing the rumors as the work of "idle people."

This exchange is more than just a clash of egos; it highlights the deep ostracization of Rigathi Gachagua since his impeachment. Figures like Mutua, who now sit comfortably at the heart of the Ruto-Raila axis, are keen to enforce a *cordon sanitaire* around the former DP, painting him as a pariah. By forcefully denying the meeting, Mutua is signaling that Gachagua is not just out of power, but out of polite political society.

The "Goose is Cooked" Narrative

Mutua’s disdain for Gachagua is well-documented. He has previously clashed with Senior Counsel Paul Muite, Gachagua’s lawyer, accusing him of giving his client "false hope" regarding his legal battles. "Mr. Gachagua’s goose is cooked," Mutua famously declared, a sentiment he seemingly maintains.

• The Lunch Date: Mutua clarified that he was indeed at Sarvid Gardens, but was dining with Paul Muite, his long-time friend and legal colleague, not Gachagua. "I met neither Gachagua nor former AG Githu Muigai," he stated.
• The Strategy: By publicly humiliating Gachagua, Mutua reinforces the narrative that the former DP is isolated and irrelevant, a "dead man walking" in the political arena.
• The Reaction: Gachagua’s camp remains defiant, viewing these attacks as proof that he is still a threat. However, the lack of high-profile allies willing to be seen with him in public is telling.

A War of Words

The intellectual condescension in Mutua’s remarks is palpable. He frames Gachagua not as a rival, but as a joke—a tactic designed to diminish his stature among the electorate. It is a brutal form of political warfare, fought not with teargas, but with tweets and soundbites.

As the political landscape reshapes itself ahead of 2027, the line is drawn. On one side, the "Broad-Based" alliance of Ruto and the ODM establishment; on the other, the lonely figure of Rigathi Gachagua. Makau Mutua has made it clear which side the "intelligent souls" are expected to choose.