- Beyond taxes, Gachagua cited a host of other grievances, including corruption scandals, abductions, extrajudicial killings, and ethnic profiling, which he said had deepened public disappointment.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has urged the president to set aside personal frustration and confront the grievances driving thousands of Kenyans into the streets.
Earlier on July 9, 2025, President William Ruto had presided over the launch of an affordable housing project in Kilimani, Nairobi, where he appeared visibly unsettled by the mounting hostility directed at his government.
The president questioned why his administration faced more fierce opposition than those before him and lamented what he described as personal disdain and arrogance aimed at his leadership.
But Gachagua insisted the public outrage was not without cause. He accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of abandoning ordinary Kenyans under the weight of new taxes and economic policies that have left families struggling to stay afloat.
"Mr Ruto, I want with a lot of humility to advise you to stop being angry. That will not help you," Gachagua said."You need to know what you need to do. The people of Kenya are more angry than you are."
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The former deputy president singled out the controversial Housing Levy, calling it a symbol of policies that have drained household incomes and eroded trust in government. He argued that addressing economic pain, rather than responding with anger, was the only way to calm the unrest.
"If you want to be calm, please abolish the Housing Levy and give dignity to the pay slips, restore the capacity of the middle class. The middle class will provide jobs to these young people," he stated.
Beyond taxes, Gachagua cited a host of other grievances, including corruption scandals, abductions, extrajudicial killings, and ethnic profiling, which he said had deepened public disappointment.
