Nyeri County Governor Mutahi Kahiga has chided the Kenya Kwanza administration over former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment saga.

Speaking at Kanunga Baptist Church Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri County, on Sunday, December 15, 2024, Kahiga argued that Gachagua was hounded out of office after being termed as the source of problems bedevilling the Kenya Kwanza administration.

In rather a mocking tone, the governor wondered if Kenya Kwanza had managed to fulfill its pledges since getting rid of Gachagua, who was considered a thorn in the flesh.

While alluding to the Limuru attack incident, Kahiga proceeded to ask the government to leave Gachagua alone since he was their main problem and had been weeded out.

“Rigathi Gachagua mlimuangusha kwa njia tunaiyoielewa sasa tunawaombeni wachaneni na yeye. Si mulimuondoa, si shida za Kenya ziliisha hata unga ilianguka bei. Walipomuondoa si mambo yote imekuwa mzuri, si walisema shida ni Rigathi Gachagua ama nyinyi hamkusikia? (You ousted Rigathi Gachagua in a way that we know and now we are saying leave him alone. You ejected him, now all the challenges are gone even the price of maize flour dropped. When they removed him, all things are better now since you said Rigathi Gachagua was the problem, did you not hear that?) Governor Kahiga posed.

Despite Gachagua’s ejection from office, Kahiga lamented that the Social Health Authority (SHA) had failed to live up to its expectations. He revealed that the authority owes Nyeri County Ksh289 million.

“Mimi nataka niseme hivi SHA ikona deni yetu ya Ksh289 million as of December 8, 2024. Mukurweini, Nyeri Town hakuna dawa na hospitali zangu zote hazina pesa kwa sababu hio pesa inahitajika kulipwa na SHA. Kama SHA inafaa kufanya kazi, pesa za hospitali zilipwe. (I want to say that SHA owes us Ksh289 million as of December 8, 2024. All hospitals in Nyeri have no medicine since SHA has not remitted the funds. If SHA is designed to work then remit the money to hospitals),” Kahiga made it clear.

Cabinet appointment

At the same time, Kahiga claimed that he had conducted public participation and established that the people did not want Cabinet Secretary slots.

He told the congregants that the region was being considered to gain from fresh cabinet appointment, however he maintained that taking away the DP slot and giving them CSs was degrading them.

Governor Kahiga went on to say that any leader from the region who would accept a government appointment would be branded a traitor

“Kama kuna kiti kitaletwa Nyeri ni kiti kimoja cha president ama nyi mnasema gani? Nimesikia ati kuna viti inatafutwa sijui Interior, sijui mawaziri, nyinyi mnataka mawaziri? Yani tunanyang’anywe deputy president tuletewe mawaziri! (Only the president’s position should be brought in Nyeri or what do you say? I have heard that there are plans to give the Interior Ministry to a person from this area and other positions, do you want cabinet secretaries? They take away the deputy president position then give us cabinet secretaries!

“Hapa hatutaki wasaliti, ukichukuwa hio kiti wewe ni msaliti. (We do not want traitors, if you accept that seat, then you are a traitor),” he retorted.