Gachagua: I was removed from Presidential diary WhatsApp group

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed to have been removed from a WhatsApp group where the presidential diary is shared, leaving him in the dark about his boss’s itinerary for the past week.

He revealed this in an exclusive interview with Citizen TV on Friday evening. Gachagua defended his absence from the team that received President William Ruto upon return from Germany last week claiming not to have been aware of when his boss was expected back

“I always align my diary with President Ruto's, and as long as I am aware of his functions, I align accordingly. If I am not aware, I am not able to align because I also have my own diary,” said Gachagua.

He added that he, his private secretary, and his chief of staff, were in the group that is also comprised of the president and his key officials until about a week ago when he and his staff were removed.

“About a week ago, we were removed from that diary, we are not able to follow what exactly is going on, so we are not able to align,” he explained, adding that unless he receives an invite to attend a presidential function, he shall end up missing it unwillingly.

Such invites, he said, have come in the form of a letter that he received while in Lamu attending the burial of Deputy Governor Raphael Ndung’u.

Gachagua said the letter was inviting him to attend the swearing-in of the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.

“I was already in Lamu, so it was not logistically possible for me to leave Lamu and attend. When I am aware of where the president is and at what time, I always attend. If I am not aware, then there is nothing I can do about it,” he added.

The DP claimed the move to remove him and his lean team from the group spells mischief for him.

“From the way I read it, there is mischief in removing me from the Presidential diary, so that once I don’t attend the President events, it is purported that I am absconding duty and I hear it is one of the grounds they wanted to front for impeachment, so that they say Rigathi Gahagua does not attend presidential functions or again sometimes they want me to get late so that it appears like I’m disrespectful,” said Gachagua.

He then implored those working around the presidency not to cause conflicts between him and his boss.

“I am the Deputy President of Kenya elected by the people, I am the Principal assistant to the president, it is only right and fair that I have access to the presidential diary so that I align my diary with his diary because he is the boss. If Kenyans don’t see me in any presential functions, I want to tell them it's because I am not aware of the function,” he said.

He said he initially thought of the move to remove him from the group as petty but will now seek to address the matter with the president with whom he insisted on being on good terms.