Gachagua Pours Cold Water on Ruto’s State of the Nation Address

Kenya, 21 November 2025 - Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has launched a fresh and fierce attack on President William Ruto, dismissing the President’s State of the Nation Address as disconnected from the daily realities of Kenyans.

Speaking during by-election campaigns in Mbeere North, Gachagua said the speech offered “performance, not progress,” arguing that the President failed to address the hardships weighing down many households.

He accused the government of mismanaging public resources and presiding over what he called “a climate of lawlessness”, citing recent concerns about alleged abductions and rising insecurity.

According to Gachagua, these issues make it impossible for Kenyans to trust the rosy picture painted in the address.

Gachagua questioned the government’s spending priorities, criticising what he described as wasteful expenditure on the Mbeere North by-election.

“I want to ask Ruto and Kindiki, why waste KSh 500 million in an area lacking water, electricity, and proper roads? If they meant well, they would have spent that money on development so that the people feel seen,” he said.

The former Deputy President, speaking mostly in Swahili during the rally, told residents that the State of the Nation Address did not reflect their lived experience.

He claimed that the head of state went to Parliament to “read a long letter” claiming the government has done this and that.

“It is not true. There is no point listening. He promised to put money in our pockets, but instead took the little we had,” he told the crowd.