Gachagua Attacks Ruto for Holding Madaraka Day Celebrations at Newly Built Wajir Stadium, Says Residents Have More Pressing Unmet Needs

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a sharp attack on President William Ruto over the decision to hold this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir County, arguing that residents continue to grapple with poverty, inadequate infrastructure and limited access to essential public services.

In a statement issued on Monday as the country marked its 63rd Madaraka Day, Gachagua questioned the rationale behind staging the national event in a region he says still faces serious development challenges despite years of funding from both the national and county governments.  

The former deputy president said the celebrations should have provided an opportunity for the Head of State to account for the state of development in Wajir and explain what tangible gains residents have received from public investments over the years.

“Holding the celebrations in Wajir is mocking them as they have nothing to celebrate,” Gachagua said, insisting that many residents continue to struggle with access to clean water, reliable electricity, quality healthcare, education and security.  

His remarks came as President Ruto presided over the historic Madaraka Day celebrations at Wajir Stadium, the first time in Kenya’s history that the national event has been hosted in Northern Kenya. During his address, Ruto described the occasion as a symbolic declaration that no region should be excluded from the country’s development agenda.  

Questions Over Development Priorities

Gachagua accused leaders from the region of failing to explain why basic services remain inadequate despite years of devolved funding and allocations through national government programmes.

He cited challenges ranging from poor road networks and unreliable electricity supply to inadequate sanitation infrastructure and recurring water shortages, arguing that these issues should have been addressed before investing in high-profile projects associated with hosting a national celebration.  

The former deputy president also questioned whether resources used to prepare for the event could have been directed toward projects with a more direct impact on residents, including schools, hospitals, water systems and sewerage infrastructure.

He further challenged the government to provide a detailed account of how billions of shillings allocated to Wajir County since the advent of devolution in 2013 have been spent, saying residents deserve transparency on the use of public funds and the outcomes achieved.

Ruto’s Message of Inclusion

The criticism came only hours after President Ruto used the national celebrations to acknowledge decades of neglect suffered by Northern Kenya and issue a rare public apology on behalf of the Kenyan state.

Addressing thousands of residents gathered at Wajir Stadium, the President admitted that past governments had failed the region through policies that concentrated development in areas considered economically productive while leaving vast parts of Northern Kenya behind.  

“Poleni sana,” Ruto told residents, describing the marginalisation of Northern Kenya as a historical injustice that should never have happened. He pledged to accelerate investments in roads, healthcare, water projects, education and other critical infrastructure to bridge the development gap.  

The President also defended the decision to host Madaraka Day in Wajir, saying it was intended to demonstrate that every Kenyan region matters and that national celebrations should not be confined to major urban centres.  

Political Undertones

Gachagua’s latest remarks are likely to deepen the growing political rivalry between the former deputy president and his former boss as both leaders intensify efforts to shape the national political conversation ahead of the next General Election.

Beyond development concerns, Gachagua urged the President to address historical grievances in the region, including the legacy of the Wagalla Massacre, and reassure residents that such tragedies would never recur.

The exchange highlights the competing narratives emerging around Wajir’s hosting of Madaraka Day. While the government has portrayed the event as a landmark moment of national inclusion and recognition for a historically neglected region, critics argue that symbolism alone cannot substitute for improvements in the daily lives of residents.  

As celebrations concluded in Wajir, the debate shifted beyond the festivities themselves to a broader question that has long shaped Kenya’s politics: whether promises of inclusion and development are translating into meaningful change for communities that have spent decades on the margins of the country’s growth.