Tony Gachoka: Elected leaders have betrayed the people

Nairobi Gubernatorial aspirant Tony Gachoka during the Royal nation to nation training college graduation on August 9, 2025 [David Gichuru, Standard] Three years into President William Ruto's administration, Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant Tony Gachoka has described the government as presiding over a collapse of multi-party democracy, runaway corruption, and failed governance. Speaking on Spice FM, Gachoka said the dysfunction runs from the top leadership down to Members of County Assembly, particularly in Nairobi. He cited the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) process as an example, saying it began as a genuine effort to build a structured opposition that would keep government in check and improve service delivery. Instead, he argued, the talks were hijacked and turned into "co-operation talks," paving the way for a broad-based government that sidelined citizens. "The NADCO talks were supposed to check the government of the day. Unfortunately, they turned into post-election coalition talks. Leaders worked out their political issues but left the people behind. This is what created the vacuum that led to the Gen Z uprising," Gachoka said. The political aspirant further accused opposition leader Raila Odinga of repeatedly betraying Kenyans through deals that weakened public trust in opposition politics. "For the last 25 years, Raila has morphed from Pentagon to CORD, NASA, and Azimio. His transformation has always been about political power. He has manipulated every president into giving him a role," Gachoka claimed. According to him, this cycle of negotiations and handshakes has badly tainted Raila's legacy, especially among young Kenyans. "As much as Gen Z blame Ruto, they blame Raila too. He involved himself in government when they asked him to stay away. Even the compensation scheme for victims of protests is being led by Raila's allies. Where is the justice?" he posed. He also accused the government of weakening opposition politics by co-opting MPs and MCAs into rubber-stamp assemblies. He pointed to the aborted impeachment of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja as a prime example of how political deals struck at State House undermine accountability. "Nairobi is by far the most corrupt and most mismanaged county in the country, and the person in charge is simply incapable, from his academic qualifications to his style of governance. Johnson Sakaja has clearly been overwhelmed by the county of Nairobi," Gachoka said. He warned that such political maneuvering is dangerous for the country's democratic future. "This is a tragedy for multi-party democracy. Parliament has been turned against the people," he said, adding that unless Kenya's leaders abandon elite-driven politics and return power to the people, the country risks sinking deeper into disillusionment and unrest.

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Tony Gachoka: Elected leaders have betrayed the people

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