Details have emerged about how the lack of a chopper to fly Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to Bungoma for the Madaraka Day celebrations delayed its start for almost an hour.
President William Ruto had met his cabinet and members of the National Security Council at the local State Lodge on June 1 morning ahead of the start of the event as a norm.
But one key member was missing. It was his deputy Gachagua.
He was stuck in Nairobi after being unable to get a chopper to fly him to the site of the celebrations in time.
Gachagua had been from May 31 been looking for a military chopper to fly him there after he finished a meeting in Nyandarua.
And after Ruto finished chairing the meetings, plans were that the event will start by 8.30 am.
But by then Gachagua had not arrived. Officials said there were divisions among those present in the meeting.
Whereas some wanted the team to proceed to the Masinde Muliro stadium for the start of the day’s events, others objected to the move saying they had been informed the DP had gotten a private chopper and was on the way.
They asked the president to wait for his arrival which would take almost 40 minutes and he agreed.
That meant the start of the event was to be delayed.
“All was set but they had to wait. It would be awkward if we started the event then the DP drives in and starts looking for his seat,” said an official.
And after the private chopper landed at a local airstrip, interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki was dispatched to go and receive Gachagua.
They drove to the State Lodge where the DP and Ruto held a meeting. During the meeting, the DP is said to have aired his anger over his mistreatment.
Ruto promised to look into the issue and let Gachagua to drive to the stadium and wait for him there and the events went on past 10 am.
More drama broke out after the event after the DP refused to go into the State Lodge. Officials said the president and his team had planned a lunch meeting with Gachagua invited.
Instead, Gachagua declined to go into the State Lodge after exchanging greetings outside with some officials there and drove off to the local airstrip.
He later flew to Nanyuki for a planned meeting giving an indication the kind of tension and misunderstanding there are in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Gachagua’s allies claimed that this is the third time the second in command has been denied military choppers.
He had to use a chopper owned by Communication Authority chairperson Mary Wambui to fly to Bungoma and later to Nanyuki.
According to sources, the DP was informed that he could not use the military chopper ‘due to bad weather’ forcing him to hire a commercial plane that took him to Bungoma and later to Nanyuki where he was presiding over the Kikuyu oldies music extravaganza.
Gachagua’s handlers feel the DP is being mistreated over perceived fall out in the government.
Insiders said Ruto has reached out to Gachagua and scheduled a meeting on June 8 where they met at State House during a UDA meeting for talks.
It is not clear what was agreed upon but insiders said Ruto felt the standoff was getting out of control and would derail many activities in the government.
“The president wants this issue to be solved. Given the kind of war of words that is ongoing in the government with some members of the cabinet joining it is getting murky,” said an insider.
The insider said there are possibilities Gachagua has given out demands, which include sacking some of the cabinet members seen to be disrespectful to him.
Gachagua had been using a police chopper that he took over in 2023 after a protracted resistance from police.
This was after the chopper, which had been purchased for surveillance was turned for VIP use.
The chopper is now grounded after a military pilot who had been flying Gachagua was recalled to Kenya Airforce. Gachagua was informed to use a pool of police pilots who are lying idle.
This was immediately after a chopper crashed in Elgeyo Marakwet killing the former Chief of Defence Forces Gen Francis Ogolla and ten others.
And following the recall of the military pilot, Gachagua said he will not use the police chopper.
Another pilot from the military who had been flying Gachagua resigned saying he was being overworked.
The move irked Gachagua who has since then been begging to get a military chopper for use saying he is part of the presidency.
There is a shortage of qualified pilots in the military due to lack training as required.
Another instance when he was denied the chopper was on May 10 when he wanted to fly to Bomet to participate in the national tree planting exercise.
He was informed there was no chopper available for him and if any, the president had to authorize that.
He had to cancel the plans due to lack of the chopper. He reached out for private chopper but was asked to pay in cash, which angered him more, officials say.
The latest move comes in the wake of revelations by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale that political leaders have now been banned from using Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) helicopters.
This is a new policy introduced after the military complained politicians were misusing their resources for their gains.
Duale said the KDF has come up with a policy that bars politicians from using KDF choppers.
Duale who was responding to a viewer’s question on whether politicians are allowed to used military helicopters, said the choppers are meant for specific functions within the KDF.
“We have now a policy in KDF, we are not going to carry politicians. Helicopters are meant for specific functions within KDF, they are part and parcel of the assets we have in safeguarding the country. They carry our troops, go to operations so not only helicopters but all our assets, going forward,” Duale said.
Asked whether the Cabinet Secretaries are allowed to use the military helicopters, Duale said it is only him and interior’s Kithure Kindiki are allowed to use the military assets while visiting operation areas.
“I am allowed to use the KDF choppers when flying to an operation area. My colleague from the Ministry of Interior can also use the military assets when flying to our operation area, or use the police assets.
“I drive myself when visiting my rural home. The roads are good,” he added.
This came amid claims the issue of use of the military choppers was part of the root cause of the storm in the Kenya Kwanza government pitting Gachagua and the other group.
There was no immediate comment from the military.