Gachagua Warns Matiang’i against Joining Ruto Over Ruaraka Land Ruling
DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has told Jubilee’s Fred Matiang’i to stand firm against what he calls pressure from the Ruto administration following a Court of Appeal ruling on the Ruaraka land saga.
Gachagua argues the case is being used to intimidate Matiang’i into abandoning the opposition, and has promised to mobilise Mt Kenya behind him if the state pursues charges.
What the court actually ruled
The Court of Appeal upheld a decision that the land occupied by Drive-In Primary School and Ruaraka High School is public land, dismissing a bid by two private companies for billions of shillings in compensation. Judges found the National Land Commission had no legal basis to acquire land the state already owned, making the KES 1.5 billion paid out unlawful.
Notably, the ruling itself does not name Matiang’i anywhere in the judgment, a point some commentators have raised directly against attempts to link him to it. He was Education Cabinet Secretary when the ministry approved the payment, which is why his name keeps surfacing in the political fallout, but responsibility for the actual disbursement is disputed.
The EACC has since said it will pursue recovery of the funds and, where evidence supports it, criminal proceedings against those involved, without naming specific suspects.
Gachagua’s warning
Speaking after the ruling, Gachagua dismissed the case against Matiang’i as a political witch-hunt, arguing that liability sits with the ministry’s accounting officer at the time, former Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, not the Cabinet Secretary. He said the Cabinet Secretary’s role is limited to policy, not payment decisions.
He went further, telling Matiang’i that if he abandons the opposition coalition to join President Ruto’s camp out of fear, he will lose the political base that has rallied behind him. Gachagua pledged to mobilise the Mt Kenya region in Matiang’i’s defence if charges are eventually filed.
Still an allegation, not a verdict
It’s worth being clear on where things actually stand. No charges have been filed against Matiang’i, Kipsang, or anyone else over the Ruaraka payment. The EACC has only announced its intention to investigate and recover funds.
Other senior officials from the time, including a former Treasury CS and former Lands PS, have also been named in past scrutiny of the deal, and parliamentary committees have previously disagreed on who bears responsibility.
Matiang’i has positioned himself as a leading opposition figure ahead of the 2027 election, running on a message of institutional discipline. How this saga plays out, and whether he stays aligned with the opposition or is drawn toward Ruto’s side, could shape the shape of Kenya’s political contest well before votes are cast.
