Riggy G, his supporters should accept bitter truth and move on

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The Constitution bars anyone who has been impeached from holding public office. [File, Standard]

The Good Book says: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Anything short of that is self-deception.

One truth that Rigathi Gachagua, aka Riggy G, aka the Truthful Man, must now confront is this: That as things stand, his name is unlikely to appear on the presidential ballot next year. More importantly, he owes it to his supporters in the Mountain, and to the country at large, to confront this reality honestly and help them do the same.

The Constitution is unambiguous on the matter. It bars anyone who has been impeached from holding public office unless and until a court clears them. Until that happens, Riggy G, despite his formidable following in the Mount Kenya region, has about the same chance of contesting the presidency as former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has of returning to City Hall—popularity and philanthropy notwithstanding.

Lawyers will, of course, debate this inside and outside courtrooms. But one thing about truth is that it does not come in versions. It is simple, and it is stubborn, and it will not budge from the fact that as matters stand now, the former deputy president is barred from the ballot.

This is not to argue that Riggy G would not make a fine president. Nor does impeachment automatically confer moral superiority on the rest of the presidential hopefuls. Many carry heavier political and moral baggage than him. The difference is this: None of the other serious aspirants has been impeached. If they have committed sins—real or imagined—they have not been caught in the particular political trap that now ensnares Riggy G.

There have been persistent whispers that some sober voices advised him to resign earlier, preserve his eligibility, and fight another day. Those voices were reportedly ignored and the trap snapped shut. Since then, Riggy G has been struggling, visibly and audibly, to wriggle free.

President William Ruto, his chief political adversary, understands this reality perfectly. That is why Dr Ruto has trained his political guns on Kalonzo Musyoka, hurling all manner of epithets at him. Aware of Gachagua's impeachment woes, the President likely believes Mr Kalonzo will be his main opponent in 2027. As for the Mount Kenya vote Riggy G has been counting on, Ruto is like a thief who enters a treasure house where the guard dog is chained to the wall—no matter how loudly it barks, he calmly proceeds to carry away the treasure.

So what now?

The responsible course is simple for Gachagua, though politically painful: He should stop holding both the country and his allies hostage by insisting that he will be on the ballot next year. He must accept the uncomfortable truth that his chances are slimmer than those of his rivals. That acceptance could set him free—and allow him to support another candidate strategically and with dignity.

It would also liberate his thousands of supporters who currently trail him with near-blind faith, sustained by hope and the power of his oratory. If the shepherd refuses to acknowledge the reality, the flock risks being led into political confusion. Should the courts ultimately rule against Gachagua’s eligibility, that prolonged uncertainty will not be remembered as courage, but as betrayal.

As things stand, many of Gachagua’s followers can best be described as undecided voters temporarily parked in Ruto’s camp. When the legal dust settles, they will scatter—some in anger, others in resignation. That outcome would be a direct result of postponing the truth.

Already, the victimhood narrative that once energised Gachagua’s base is losing steam. On the ground, numbers suggest that a growing section of his former die-hard supporters has begun to accept the possibility that he may never be their president—and have quietly moved on.

This, then, is the hard truth Riggy G must face—and must help his supporters face. He should accept the possibility that he might never be the President of Kenya and make peace with it for the sake of his followers, for the sake of democratic clarity, and for the sake of the country.

Mr Karanja is a journalist