National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has opened up about a tense confrontation with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, claiming that a demand for Ksh 1 billion in confidential expenditure triggered their political fallout.
In a candid interview aired on Monday, April 13, 2026, Ichung’wah recounted a private meeting at Gachagua’s official residence in Karen, where he says the former deputy president sought to pressure him into approving additional funds through Article 223 of the Constitution, a provision that allows for supplementary spending in exceptional circumstances.
According to Ichung’wah, the dispute marked a turning point in his relationship with Gachagua and exposed deeper divisions within the ruling coalition.
“When he was deputy president, when he tried to blackmail the president and threaten all members of parliament, I went to his house in Karen,” Ichung’wah said. “I told him, Mr. Deputy President, you know me , even President Uhuru Kenyatta could not intimidate or blackmail me to support his cause. I will be the last person you will intimidate or blackmail.”
Ichung’wah, who previously chaired the Budget and Appropriations Committee, said Gachagua had sought to increase his office’s confidential expenditure from Ksh 700 million to Ksh 1 billion.
The Majority Leader claimed he rejected the proposal outright, citing his own role in instituting restrictions on such spending during his tenure as budget chair.
“I remember that time he had called me to Karen to persuade me that he could get access to additional confidential expenditure to hit a billion shillings,” Ichung’wah said. “I told him I was the author of an embargo on such expenditure under Article 223, and as the Leader of the Majority, I would not allow it in Parliament because it is wrong.”
Ichung’wah further alleged that Gachagua attempted to leverage his political influence, particularly among lawmakers from the Mt. Kenya region, to push through his agenda.
The Majority Leader said he resisted those efforts, insisting that parliamentary numbers should not be used to “abuse power or do what is not right.”
The two leaders do not see eye to eye.
