Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua turned to a political punching bag on Tuesday evening after photos of him boarding a commercial plane while carrying his suitcase surfaced online.

The second-in-command was seen boarding the Kenya Airways flight to attend the International Scientific Conference in Mombasa, a stunt that has since been interpreted as a needless sideshow.

A handful of leaders then immediately took online to attack Gachagua, however in hushed tones, throwing harsh sentiments at the move even terming him as a mere attention seeker. 

National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah wrote on X "Neither President @WilliamsRuto nor the Government of Kenya or Members of Parliament will succumb to blackmail."

He added: "No amount of sympathy seeking photos, vernacular stations campaigns, social media blogging troops will handover billions to satisfy anyone’s insatiable greed for power and money."

Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi shot a low jab at the stunt, noting that if one can be seeking advice from former Nyeri MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, a leader known to share a camaraderie with Gachagua, then "just know you are doomed. It is better to be advised by a class 2 child".

"If you find yourself depending on @ngunjiriwambugu as your advisor, then just know you are doomed. It is better to be advised by a class 2 child," Sudi wrote on X.

His Kimilili counterpart Didmus Barasa also joined the bandwagon stating that President William Ruto has always boarded commercial flights and has never attempted to post images online to stir public attention.

"Huyu a first commercial flight paid for by taxpayers and escorted in new high-end landcruisers to the airside, is craving for sympathy. Bure kabisa! NO BLACKMAIL," he wrote on X.

The political muddle lies on the backdrop of a speculated rift between the President and his deputy, many claiming that Gachagua's ties with the ruling party are running weary and his popularity in his home turf, the Mt.Kenya region, is even getting hazy.

Gachagua has been on the receiving end over his unwelcome sentiments on tribal politics in his continued indulgence in the Mt Kenya supremacy battles.

The latter has even prompted President Ruto to issue a directive on leaders to steer clear of tribal politics.

Leaders across the nation have joined the ridicule trail against Gachagua, saying that stirring political rift based on ethnicity will have grave ramifications in a developed democracy.