Why Gachagua was kicked out - Ruto

President William Ruto has detailed why he fell out with his former Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, claiming the ex-DP had threatened to make him one term president.

The president said Gachagua blackmailed him and asked for Sh10 billion to allegedly help Ruto shore up support for him in Mt Kenya region.

Ruto took time to explain that Gachagua told him to his face that unless he gave him the billions, he would move to force him into a single-term president.

" I sat down with Gachagua and told him, my friend, stop these fights. He came to me and said he would make me one term president and asked for Sh10 billion to go and prepare Mt Kenya for me," Ruto said.

In an interview with Mt Kenya-based stations on Monday night, Ruto also outlined how MPs from the region rejected Gachagua from day one when he was seeking his running mate in 2022.

He said the removal of Gachagua from office was a decision made by politicians from Mt Kenya region.

"Those who removed him followed the law, I never signed anywhere that he be removed from office," Ruto said.

"I am the one who nominated Gachagua in accordance with the constitution. Even when I nominated him, I asked leaders from Mt Kenya to help me with one of them to be my running mate."

He said the MPs failed to strike a deal after a day-long meeting at his then Karen office as deputy president.

"They talked at Karen office and until 4 PM and told me they were unable and then they decided to vote," Ruto said.

"In the vote Kindiki got 27 and my friend Rigathi got five votes," he said.

Ruto said he vetoed the MPs and picked Gachagua as his running mate.

"I told them to allow me to consult and provide the roadmap. Because I had been accused of working with youthful leaders from Mt Kenya, I told them that for the people to believe us, let me pick this old man near my age,'' he said.

After coming into office, Ruto said Gachagua committed at least three sins, including threatening MPs from Mt Kenya.

"On a daily basis, we had cases over people he was complaining about, including Dennis Itumbi, a small person like Farouk Kibet, Ndindi Nyoro and Kimani Ichung'wah," he said.

''I sat him down and told him to stop that and allow me to work. He then said MPs who will not support him and kneel before him will be home by December. MPs are politicians and said they would deal with him by December."

Ruto said that the other reason why Gachagua was kicked out is that he never defended or explained government projects in public or in the media.

"When I was deputy president, I went for TV interviews more than present Uhuru Kenyatta. When serving as deputy president, it's your duty to profile government projects, did you see Rigathi on any TV station talking about government programmes? No," he said.

He said there is nothing that was passed in government without going through the deputy president who served as the chairman of development programmes.