Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has taken a subtle swipe at Kikuyu Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung’wah for what he termed as airing Mt Kenya’s dirty laundry in public during the concluded President William Ruto’s Nyanza tour.

Speaking on Sunday, September 1, 2024, during a church service in Meru, the Second in Command, called out the Leader of the Majority in the National Assembly for failing to measure his words in front of the visitors.

Without authoritatively mentioning his name, Gachagua insisted that it was paramount for him to address any issue bedevilling the region in a Mt Kenya forum.

Disabled mother analogy

To drive his point home, Gachagua used a disabled woman analogy where he argued that a man cannot go out and expose his mother’s weaknesses to please his mother-in-law.

The Deputy President thus insisted that it was not right for the leaders to air their differences for their own political interests while neglecting the region’s interests.

“I want to ask our young leaders to be measured when they speak about their community when they are outside with the visitors,” Gachagua stated.

“Ata kama iko shida nyumbani, hio ni mambo ya kupeleka nje? Ata kama mama yako akona macho moja na umeenda ugenini na umepata msichana mrembo, you don’t go to talk ill of your mother to please the mother of the girl you want to marry (Is it right to go and air your home issues outside? Even if your mother is one-eyed and you have found a pretty girl, you don’t go to talk ill of your mother to please the mother of the girl you want to marry).”

“The dignity of this region is paramount and as a community, it is important we be respected. On behalf of our community, I would like to apologise on behalf of our young people, sometimes they get lost when they are out there and hurl words that are abusive to the entire community. When you accuse an entire community of lack of gratitude when it is a community that has shown gratitude to President William Ruto by voting for him, it is not right,” he added.

Ichung’wah’s rant

Speaking during the homecoming ceremony of Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi in Siaya County, Ichung’wah attacked the DP for laying traps at the State House for Raila Odinga.

The MP noted that anyone who sets traps for Raila will only end up ensnared by the same traps.

“Nimeskia Junet akiongea juu ya mitego. Watu wa Siaya, iko mtu ama watu wanaweza kuwekea Baba Mtego? Mtu akifikiria ataweka baba mtego, utajipata umejitega wewe mwenyewe (I have heard Junet talk about traps. People of Siaya, is there anyone or people who can set traps for Baba. Anyone who thinks of setting up traps for Baba will end up trapping themselves)” The Leader of Majority in Parliament stated.

He further castigated Mt Kenya leaders indicating that they were ungrateful for the Cabinet Secretary positions allocated to them in the broad-based government.

“Your Excellency, nimesoma kitu kutoka kwa hawa watu wa Siaya na Nyanza. You are a great people who have gratitude. You have been given two Cabinet Secretaries in government and you have shown gratitude. What about us who have no less than 7CS and DP? Ichung’wah posed.

However, Gachagua has dismissed Ichung’wah’s claims insisting that Mt Kenya region is grateful for the Cabinet slots given to them.

“He is the one who owes gratitude to this region because we have already vindicated ourselves and in the positions that we have been given, we are very appreciative to the President but the truth of the matter is that we also merit those positions because we invested everything in this government,” Gachagua insisted.