In the build-up to the August 2022 General Election, the then Kenya Kwanza presidential running mate Rigathi Gachagua made headlines for making unguarded statements.
Gachagua was accused of making controversial statements in the media without consulting his boss William Ruto, something that caused disquiet in the Kenya Kwanza camp.
For instance, the Deputy President made it clear that he will only fight for the interests of the Mt Kenya people.
“I will continue sleeping with one eye while the other remains wide open like a torch to see where our interests are being sabotaged,” Gachagua said at a funeral in Gatanga, Murang’a County.
However, with just months in the country’s second highest office, Gachagua appears to have controlled his outbursts.
Speaking on Tuesday, August 1, during the launch of the Presidential Working Party on Education reforms report at State House Nairobi, the DP attributed his controlled outbursts to associating with scholars.
While acknowledging that his education standards were somehow low, the second in command said his thinking capacity and language has improved since he started sitting with professors
“It’s always my pleasure to stay with professors. You know my education is a little bit low. There was a process in biology called osmosis; when you sit with learned people, something can get into you, and you feel scholarly.
“So I’m always happy to engage with these professors, but since I started engaging with them, my language and way of thinking has improved,” he said as the gathering burst into laughter.
The former Mathira Member of Parliament holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Literature from the University of Nairobi.
Between 1999 and 2000, Gachagua joined the Kenya School of Government where he graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Public Administration.
