Gachagua cautions North Eastern leaders against dragging Somali people into his tiff with Ruto
By Arnold Ngure, August 27, 2025Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has cautioned a section of leaders from the North-Eastern region against dragging the entire Somali community into his tiff with President William Ruto.
Speaking during a live TV interview from his Karen residence in Nairobi on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Gachagua indicated that his remarks about Ruto meeting Al Shabaab leaders in Mandera do not make the entire community complicit.
“I want to put it very clearly that after I asked William Ruto to explain about the Al Shabaab meeting, which he did in Mandera, some leaders in that area, the governor, the senator, and some MPs, were accusing me of having called the people of Mandera terrorists,” Gachagua said.
Drive a wedge
“Let me say very clearly, the people of Mandera are very innocent and have nothing to do with these accusations. The accusations are against Ruto and not the people of Mandera. The fact that the meeting is alleged to have taken place in Mandera does not make the people of Mandera party to any such meeting.”
Gachagua equally lamented what he termed a sustained efforts to drive a wedge between him and the people of Somali origin.
“I have seen a concerted effort to try to drive a wedge between me and the people of Mandera and those from the North-Eastern region of Kenya. Let me say that I have tremendous respect for that community; they are very honourable people,” Gachagua remarked.
Great working relationship
“I do business with people from the Somali community, and their word is like a banker’s cheque. Where I come from, we live and do business with the Somali people. In Laikipia East constituency, the Kikuyus there elected a Somali as a member of parliament when their population is only 3 per cent,” he stated.
“Here in Kamukunji, Yusuf Hassan has been elected by the Mount Kenya people three times. So, I don’t want leaders who have an issue with me when they try to defend William Ruto, to drag the people of Mandera,” he added.
“They should leave us with William Ruto to have our own war. Waarabu wanajuana kwa vilemba.”