Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has taken aim at President William Ruto’s Beyond Vision 2030 agenda, arguing that Kenyans are more concerned with immediate economic relief than future development plans.
Addressing residents in Nyandarua County on Sunday, August 2, 2026, Gachagua stated that the government has neglected key promises made before the 2022 elections, particularly in infrastructure, agriculture, and farmer support.
Stalled Infrastructure Projects
Gachagua highlighted unfinished road projects such as the Murungaru–Naivasha road, emphasizing that locals cannot afford to wait decades for promised infrastructure improvements.
Unfulfilled Agricultural Commitments
- He criticized the government for not implementing the Guaranteed Minimum Return (GMR) framework discussed prior to the elections.
- Agreements from a Nyandarua economic forum on potatoes, carrots, and feeder roads remain unexecuted.
- Farmers in western Kenya face hardships as sugarcane prices reportedly fell from Ksh6,500 to Ksh5,000 per tonne.
- Gachagua condemned the influx of imported rice, which has suppressed prices and left local producers from Mwea and Ahero with unsold stock.
- He linked maize crop failures in parts of the Rift Valley to the distribution of counterfeit fertiliser, calling for accountability and quality inputs.
- The 0.8% tea levy was also criticized for reducing Kenyan tea's competitiveness and potentially lowering farmers' bonuses.
Other Concerns
In Nyandarua, Gachagua raised alarms over the closure of the Nyahururu KCC plant, noting that dairy farmers have gone unpaid for four months and suggesting private interests may be involved in the plant’s decline.
He also condemned the resurgence of illicit alcohol in the county, which has resulted in fatalities despite previous crackdowns.
“We want to know the plan to end this illicit brew. The talk of Vision 2060 is irrelevant to them,” Gachagua remarked.
