Mudavadi responds to claims of 'competition' between him, Gachagua

By Peter Ochieng

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has responded to claims of percieved rift between him and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Speaking to Citizen TV's Sam Gituku on Thursday night, Mudavadi said the alleged competition between him and the-second-in-command, owing to a likelihood of their similar roles in the Kenya Kwanza alliance administration does not exist.

The former Deputy Prime Minister said some people are hell-bent on creating a conflict where it does not exist.

"This is trying to create something where there is none, create a conflict where there is none."

"I'm responding to it for the first time through you and as far as I'm concerned, it is a non-issue. The issue that there was conflict, or there was competition is neither here nor there."

Claims of a rift between Mudavadi and Gachagua gathered pace early this year, over reports that the Prime CS was making numerous foreign trips, compared to Gachagua.

Other commentators even claimed that Mudavadi was becoming more and more closer to president William Ruto compared to the deputy president, ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.

Others suggested that Ruto was poised to drop Gachagua and pick Mudavadi as his running mate.

But the former Mathira Member of Parliament (MP) in return denied claims of mis-understanding in the Kenya Kwanza administration.

“I have heard people saying that Musalia is doing my job. That he is the one going to Nigeria while I have been handed the ordinary jobs of fighting alcohol and drug abuse. I told the president to leave me here in Kenya to fight alcoholism and drug abuse,” Gachagua said in June.

"The only trip I can go abroad is one that will bring in resources. But just going to see the swearing-in of a new President will add what value? I am not interested."