Kindiki mocks Gachagua’s door-to-door tea campaigns in Mbeere North
By Kenneth Mwenda, November 22, 2025Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has intensified his attacks on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as the Mbeere North by-election campaign heats up.
Speaking during the Kyenire People’s Forum at Kamukanya in Evurore Ward, Mbeere North, Embu County, Kindiki dismissed Gachagua’s door-to-door campaign style, saying it goes against local cultural norms.
Kindiki criticised Gachagua’s visits to homes to share tea in kitchens with women during campaigns.
“Sasa wale ndugu zangu wanazurura hapa na kunywa chai kwa kitchen ya kina mama. Waambiwe kwanza sisi hapa, wazee wa sehemu hii, hatuingiangi kitchen,” he said.
“Kama wewe ni kijana ambaye umetahiri kuendelea hivi kuw mzee, huwezi, kwa mila ya Kimbeere, na kikwetu huku ndunia hii yote ya Wameru, na Watharaka na Wakikuyu. Huwezi ingia kitchen.”
He questioned why a grown man would enter his mother’s kitchen.
“Kwani unataka kuona uchi ya mamako? Unataka nini? Unafanya nini kitchen? So, waambiwe wawachane na kitchen.”
He also accused Gachagua’s camp of carrying their own tea to homes because they fear drinking tea offered by residents.
“Wawache kubeba chai kwa sababu wanaogopa kukunywa chai yetu, wanabeba chai yao wanakuja kunywa kwa mtu alafu wanasema wanakunywa chai kwetu,” he said.
Kindiki argued that these gestures do not matter, saying the important issue is that when residents needed development, those leaders did not show up.
Tea tactics dominate race
The remarks come as the Mbeere North by-election turns into an unusual contest centred around tea-drinking visits. Gachagua has been conducting morning walks and dropping into homesteads to share tea while campaigning for Democratic Party candidate Newton Karish. His team has framed the approach as a way to connect directly with voters.
The tactic has forced Kindiki and other UDA leaders to follow suit. The UDA camp has also been knocking on doors and sharing tea with residents as it pushes support for its candidate, Leo wa Muthende.
Reports from the campaign trail show the strategy spreading. On Saturday, former Cabinet Secretary and Chama Cha Kazi Party leader Moses Kuria adopted the same approach in Ishiara while campaigning for Ireri Mbui. Kuria shared tea with residents at a local food outlet, joining what has become a growing trend.
The rivalry between Kindiki and Gachagua has sharpened the contest. Earlier in the week, Kindiki dismissed Gachagua as a small timer and accused him of resorting to insults instead of presenting his development record.
Gachagua responded by questioning government spending in the area and saying residents had already decided who they would vote for.
The by-election, set for 27 November, will fill the seat left vacant after MP Geoffrey Ruku joined the Cabinet. Both camps view the race as a crucial test of influence in the Mount Kenya East region, an area that has long played a key role in national politics.