Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba has defended Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s apology following his controversial remarks on the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, cautioning against what she termed as deliberate efforts to fuel ethnic tension.

Speaking during a radio interview on October 24, 2025, Orwoba said while Kahiga’s comments were reckless, the issue should have ended with his resignation and apology.

Irresponsible but resolved

“First of all, I think it was in very, very bad taste, and I actually spoke out about it. I think some of these leaders might be old in age but very immature in thoughts. I think he got a little bit excited there and just became cantankerous. I believe his utterances should have never even come to his mind to begin with,” Orwoba said.

Also watch: Gloria Orwoba accuses CoG of celebrating Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s woes.

Governor Kahiga had sparked nationwide outrage on October 21, 2025, after remarks made in Kikuyu during a burial in Nyeri, where he appeared to celebrate Raila Odinga’s death.

“You guys can see what had been planned, but God brought something up. Now it’s total confusion. We did not harbour hate for anyone, but God came through for us,” he told mourners, implying the late ODM leader had hindered Central Kenya’s progress.

Following public backlash, Kahiga resigned from his post as the Council of Governors (CoG) Deputy Chairperson and issued an apology.

“From the very onset, I want to sincerely apologise to our mourning nation, to the family of the Right Honourable former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga, Mama Ida, her children Rosemary, Junior and Winnie, Honourable Senator Oburu Odinga and Honourable MP Ruth Odinga, other siblings, the extended family, the ODM fraternity, the Luo nation and Kenyans at large,” Kahiga said.

Dragging it along

Orwoba acknowledged his apology but faulted those who prolonged the debate.

“Even if you apologize it doesn’t mean everything is going to be okay—but what you see after that is now you start understanding why he even spoke them in the first place. Because it’s like we are at that state where the biggest losers from Raila Odinga’s death are just waiting for the next thing to hang on to,” she said.

“For me, it felt like there were sections of people who were generating heat from something that had already been handled. It was an off utterance, very irresponsible of Governor Kahiga. He apologized, he stepped down—so why are you dragging this thing along?”

Manufactured hate

The former senator decried attempts to divide communities. “There have been attempts at getting the Mount Kenya community against the Luos and vice versa. Remember there was even a time when they started saying this thing of—well, I can’t even remember—but everyone was like, ‘Oh, I’m one zero,’ and everyone gave themselves a Kikuyu name. Because Kenyans were like, ‘No, we’ve seen what you’re trying to do there. We’ve seen that you’re trying to create this rift, and we’re not buying into that story.’”

She added that the matter should have ended swiftly.

“Governor Kahiga said whatever he said, and that was in bad taste. We should have moved on literally two or three hours after he resigned. But there are individuals who would like to see that rift between the Luo nation and Mount Kenya, and those are the people who kept on pushing the narrative, doing press conferences, doing the most. And you’re like—don’t you have anything else to do?”

ODM had strongly condemned Kahiga’s remarks as regrettable for a public leader, while Starehe MP Mwago and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah also weighed in, with Ichung’wah calling for divine forgiveness.