Standfirst: In a stinging rebuke from the political wilderness, the former Deputy President claims the Mountain has moved, and no amount of regional balancing will salvage the President's 2027 fortunes.

Rigathi Gachagua, the man who once styled himself as the "Truthful Man" of the Kenya Kwanza government, has fired a fresh salvo at his former boss, President William Ruto. Speaking with the reckless abandon of a man with nothing left to lose, Gachagua dismissed the swirling speculation that the President intends to pick a running mate from the Nyanza region to secure his re-election in 2027. His message was blunt, tribal, and calculated to unsettle: the political marriage is over, and the divorce will be messy.

The former Deputy President's comments come amidst rumors that Ruto is courting Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga or Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga as potential deputies—a strategic pivot designed to fracture the traditional opposition stronghold of Nyanza. Gachagua, however, characterizes this as a desperate gamble that ignores the tectonic shifts in the President's own backyard.

The Mountain Has Moved

"He can pick Wanga, he can pick Oburu, he can pick anyone he wants," Gachagua told a gathering of supporters. "But the people of the Mountain, and the people of Kenya, have already made up their minds. A new deputy is like painting a sinking ship."

Gachagua's narrative is one of betrayal. He positions himself as the martyr of the Mount Kenya region, sacrificed by a President who used the region's votes to ascend to power only to discard its "son." This narrative is dangerous for Ruto. If Gachagua succeeds in convincing the populous Central Kenya bloc that they were used and dumped, the President's path to 50% + 1 becomes mathematically treacherous, regardless of how many votes he scrapes from Nyanza.

The Nyanza Gamble

The President's strategists argue that a Ruto-Nyanza alliance would be the ultimate "Handshake," uniting two historically antagonistic voting blocs. By floating names like Gladys Wanga—a performer with executive experience—or Oburu Odinga—the bearer of the Odinga dynastic torch—Ruto is attempting to redefine the 2027 map.

• The Strategy: Replace the lost votes of Mt. Kenya with the captured votes of Nyanza.
• The Risk: Nyanza's loyalty to the Odinga family is often personal, not transferable. A deputy from the region does not guarantee the region's vote if the community feels the "system" is hostile.

A War on Two Fronts

Ruto now faces a war on two fronts: a rejuvenated opposition in the West and a bitter, insurgent faction in the Center led by Gachagua. The former DP's strategy is clear—burn the bridges so that Ruto cannot retreat. By actively campaigning against his former boss, Gachagua is not just seeking relevance; he is seeking revenge.

"The President thinks politics is about chess pieces," Gachagua warned. "He forgets that those pieces are people, and people have memories. 2027 will not be about who is Deputy; it will be about who betrayed whom."