‘Don’t worry’ – Gachagua calms Mt Kenya region down after exiting office
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, appealed to his base in the Mount Kenya region to desist from publicly expressing their dissatisfaction with the intrigues which followed his removal from office.
Speaking during the send-off ceremony of Lucy Wambui who lost her life after developing complications following a botched surgery, Gachagua said the Mt Kenya region was unique and that their reaction to his impeachment had come as a surprise to many in the country.
“I want to tell the people of our region not to get worried. Many people are calling me asking what’s going to happen. Please don’t worry. Our community is very unique and many people are shocked,” Gachagua said.
Adding: “They expected people to go to the streets, lighting bonfires, destroying vehicles and shouting. No, that is not who we are. These people don’t know us well. When we feel offended and we feel bad, we keep quiet. Keep quiet, say nothing; if you feel so strongly you must express yourself, then do it through song and dance.”
Gachagua’s fate sealed
Gachagua’s fate was sealed after a three-judge bench of Justices Freda Mugambi, Anthony Mrima and Eric Ogolla lifted court orders barring the swearing-in of the current Deputy President Kithure Kindiki following his nomination and approval by the National Assembly.
While Gachagua has yet to reveal his next course of legal redress, he appealed to his Mt Kenya backyard to remain positive even in his exclusion from the administration he helped propel to power.
With a battery of more than 20 lawyers, Gachagua had built a series of cases in the fight for his spot at the helm of the Kenya Kwanza administration before each of the cases were dismissed.
Dragging court process
At one point, the Justice Ogolla-led three-judge bench accused Gachagua’s lead counsel Paul Muite of attempting to derail the court by delaying its processes.
Ogolla indicated that when the lawyers sought conservatory orders, they certified them as urgent but when they were allocated time for hearings, they never handled them with urgency, opting that the cases drag for days.
“It is now apparent that the applicants no longer perceive the urgency in this matter. Instead, they see to cast aspersions on this court for addressing the matter with the necessary expedition,” Justice Ogolla said on October 24, 2024.
Adding: “Such conduct is contradictory and undermines the very urgency that the applicants had initially invoked.”