Gachagua Slams Ruto, Atwoli as He Calls for New Workers’ Union

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua launched a fresh offensive against President William Ruto on Tuesday, taking direct aim at the administration’s economic record and labour policies.

Speaking at the launch of the Kenya Labour Market and Worker Welfare Report 2026, Gachagua accused the government of raiding workers’ payslips through a growing stack of deductions and called for the creation of a new workers’ organization to challenge the dominance of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU).

Gachagua painted a stark picture of Kenya’s economic direction, warning that growth has lost significant momentum under the current administration. He flagged what he described as a troubling pattern of internal suppression, suggesting that officials who release data unfavorable to the government risk facing consequences within state structures.

“Our economy… has dipped from 7.6 per cent growth in 2021 to the current 4.6 per cent. Numbers do not lie,” Gachagua said.

He sharpened his criticism further by questioning how the government handles inconvenient figures from within its own ranks, arguing that the administration appeared to be distancing itself from statistics released by one of its own departments.

“A department in his own government has released figures… and he is saying those numbers are lying,” he said.

The DCP leader shifted his fire toward what he described as a pattern of fictitious development announcements, accusing President Ruto of repeatedly launching projects that exist only in press releases and podium speeches.

“William Ruto has launched fake projects here in Kenya. He keeps announcing projects that do not exist,” Gachagua said.

He argued that the habit had now crossed borders, with Ruto carrying the same approach into his regional diplomacy engagements.

“He has become so bold that he is now announcing non-existent projects in a neighboring country,” he said.

Gachagua zeroed in on Ruto’s announcement of an oil refinery project in Tanga, Tanzania, which he claimed caught the host government completely off guard and left Kenya’s diplomatic standing looking shaky.

“You know, it’s so embarrassing to our country that a President from Kenya goes to Tanzania to announce that there will be a project in Tanga for oil refinery when the President of the country is not even aware of such a project?” he posed. “It is embarrassment and impunity.”

Gachagua argued that the effect of such announcements was eroding Kenya’s credibility on the regional stage while leaving citizens at home chasing projects that were never going to materialize.

‘Atwoli After His Own Stomach,’ says Gachagua

Gachagua extended his criticism to Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary-General Francis Atwoli, accusing him of abandoning workers in favor of political alignment with the government. In his view, Kenya’s main labour movement has drifted far from the struggles of the ordinary employees it was built to represent.

“We have a labour union led by a professional broker… he was seen dancing happily with the oppressor, shouting two terms,” he said.

Gachagua took aim at Atwoli’s political consistency, recounting how the COTU boss had fiercely opposed the Kenya Kwanza camp during the 2022 campaigns, only to turn up at State House shortly after the government took office, a turnaround Gachagua said he found both baffling and telling.

“I cannot understand. He is just after his own stomach,” Gachagua said.

He took the audience back to the heat of the 2022 election season, when Atwoli was openly campaigning for the Azimio coalition and making bold public predictions about Ruto’s chances at the ballot.

“I remember when we came into office with William Ruto in 2022, Atwoli had been on record campaigning for Azimio and even advising that the president should look for a tree in Sugoi where he would hang himself because he would lose,” he said.

Gachagua said the shock hit him hard when he walked into State House after the Kenya Kwanza victory and found Atwoli already there, seemingly at home in the corridors of power he had just spent months fighting against.

“I could not believe it when I found him at State House when we went in,” he said. “He was there laughing and dancing in the corridor.”

Gachagua revealed that senior Kenya Kwanza coalition figures had facilitated Atwoli’s entry into the new administration’s inner circle.

“He was brought by Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula to see William Ruto,” he said.

Unable to hold back his disbelief, Gachagua said he confronted President Ruto directly about Atwoli’s presence, given everything the labour boss had said on the campaign trail.

“I asked William Ruto, how come Atwoli is here? I thought this man said you should look for a tree in your compound to hang yourself because you cannot be president,” he said.

Ruto’s response, according to Gachagua, was amusing and carried a blunt lesson about the nature of Kenyan politics.

“He laughed sheepishly and told me, ‘Rigathi, you don’t seem to understand this country. Every man has a price,'” Gachagua said.

Gachagua Issues Rallying Call to Kenyan Workers

Gachagua urged workers to recognize and exercise their collective political power, pointing to a wave of statutory deductions such as PAYE, SHA, NSSF, and the housing levy that he argued have quietly gobbled up workers’ monthly earnings and pushed many households toward financial strain.

“There was a time when a payslip meant dignity in Kenya. Now… 30 to 40 per cent of workers’ wages are gone through deductions,” he said.

He reserved particular criticism for the housing levy, calling it unnecessary and questioning why billions of shillings continue flowing out of workers’ pockets without adequate transparency. He called on the relevant authorities to provide clear, verifiable accountability on how those funds are collected, managed, and spent.

“To workers of Kenya, since you seem unable to remove these men, it is time you created another organization to champion your interests,” he said. “You do not have to remain in COTU,” Gachagua said, acknowledging that he expected pushback from the Registrar of Trade Unions.

“I know the registrar of trade unions will frustrate registration, but get your paperwork in order,” he said. “Next year in October, when we are in office, we shall register a new organization.”

He tied the financial squeeze on workers to the broader cost-of-living crisis, including rising fuel prices, arguing that these compounding pressures have deepened economic hardship for millions of Kenyan families. With the 2027 elections drawing closer, Gachagua framed the vote as a defining opportunity for workers to push back against policies that have steadily eroded their earnings.

“The fate of your payslips rest on your hands,” he told workers.

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