Kibwezi West MP Mwangi Mutuse has criticised former Deputy President Gachagua over his recent ‘cousin’ rhetoric.

Mutuse has warned the people of Kibwezi against the opportunistic tribal politics adopted by Gachagua after being impeached and removed from office in October 2024.

While addressing the people of Kibwezi on Tuesday, 5, 2025, Mutuse told Gachagua to stop deceiving the Kamba community, reaffirming his political stance against ethnic-based campaigning. 

“When we decided to approach the president for developmental consultation, he would tell me…you Kambas have very few votes… This is a government of shares. While in office, he used to despise the Kamba people, yet today he is trying to deceive us by calling us ‘cousins’. This is pure deception,” he fumed.

This comes after he spoke in the Kamba region, Kyuso-Kitui, on June 9, 2025, where he urged locals and Kenyans to reject tribal politics, explicitly calling out the “so-called cousin mentality” as backward in an era of global innovation like AI and blockchain.

He emphasised unity and futuristic leadership over ethnic divisions. This event drew significant attendance and was documented with photos on his X account.

Mutuse is not the only leader from this region to express anger toward Gachagua’s “cousin” mantra. In the recent past, there have been calls for him to apologise for this perceived insincerity.

Mutuse’s criticisms after his role in Gachagua’s impeachment, where he accused the former DP of ethnic bias, corruption, and promoting division via the ‘shareholder’ analogies for political support. Post-impeachment, Gachagua has leaned into a “cousin” narrative to build alliances beyond Mt Kenya.

Mutuse, aligned with President Ruto’s camp, has consistently pushed back, portraying it as hypocritical. Kibwezi West residents have previously confronted Mutuse over the impeachment, with some expressing discontent in October 2024 gatherings. However, Mutuse has maintained local support by highlighting benefits like infrastructure projects and appointments, he says resulted from his loyalty to Ruto.