Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has declared that former President Uhuru Kenyatta is the unquestioned leader of the Mt Kenya region.
In a statement on Friday, Gachagua expressed regret that the people of Mt Kenya disregarded Uhuru’s advice in 2022 when he supported opposition leader Raila Odinga. “Uhuru Kenyatta is the undisputed king of the mountain,” he stated on Citizen TV.
He added, “Both I and the people of the mountain feel remorseful for how we treated Uhuru. We criticized him, embarrassed him, and scolded him for saying Raila Odinga was a good man. We were harsh. We’ve come to realize that it was unfair to punish him simply for his opinion, which contradicted our views at the time. Now that President Ruto has acknowledged Raila’s merits, I felt it was necessary to apologize to Uhuru.”
Gachagua referred to Uhuru as the king of the region, emphasizing that in their tradition, a king only makes a proclamation once, which he did when he endorsed Raila.
He noted that President Ruto has echoed this sentiment, stating that the people of Mt Kenya no longer hold any animosity toward Raila Odinga. “Our people believe that a Mt Kenya king doesn’t need to make multiple pronouncements. Uhuru’s endorsement stands, and today, both I and the people of the mountain are quite satisfied with Raila,” he said.
Regarding his relationship with the former president, Gachagua mentioned that he reached out to Uhuru to apologize on behalf of the community. “It’s good. Brotherly. We have a unique community that rarely fights, and when we do, we quickly reconcile once we recognize our mistakes. I was the one who initiated the apology.”
