“We have no apologies to make for being who we are”: Gachagua hits back at Mt Kenya cultural gathering critics

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua joins other leaders during the second edition of the Gema Watho Extravaganza at Thika Greens Golf Club on November 7, 2026, where he defended Mt Kenya cultural gatherings against accusations of.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has hit back at critics of Mt Kenya cultural gatherings, accusing them of applying double standards by condemning meetings organised by the region while accepting similar gatherings involving other communities as platforms for regional integration.

Speaking on Saturday during the second edition of the Gema Watho Extravaganza, held at Thika Greens Golf Club, Gachagua insisted that the Mt Kenya community had every right to celebrate its identity and discuss issues affecting its people.

He cited meetings organised by the Mulembe community and pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya, questioning why similar engagements involving the Mt Kenya community were viewed differently.

“When the Mulembe nation, Wetangula and Musalia, calls their people together for a conversation, this is regional integration. When the people of Northern Kenya meet, they say the pastoralists are discussing their issues. When no other communities meet, nobody has a problem. But when the mountaineers meet, like they have done today, we are accused of tribalism,” he said.

“Shame on them! We are who we are, and we have no apologies to make to anybody.”

Gachagua urged members of the community to remain proud of their ethnic identity, culture and language, regardless of their education and professional achievements, arguing that all Kenyan communities had a right to preserve their heritage.

He also took aim at President William Ruto, insisting that Mt Kenya residents should not be treated as outsiders in their own country.

“Let William Ruto know the mountain people are not refugees in their own country. And that is why we have decided as a region, as a community, we must send him home one way,” he said.

The DCP leader further announced that the region would agree on one presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 General Election. He added that should he become President, he would host the third edition of Ngemi cia Watho at the Sagana State Lodge.

Turning to the legal profession, Gachagua challenged lawyers to take a leading role in defending the Constitution, protecting human rights and safeguarding the electoral process ahead of the next General Election.

He urged advocates to monitor the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) by serving as election observers across the country, arguing that the procedures leading to an election were just as important as voting itself.

“The processes are as important as the actual election. And we must work with you so that you are observers across the country to make sure William Ruto does not steal our election,” he said.

He also challenged the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) to speak more strongly against injustices in the country, citing former society leaders Paul Muite, Nelson Havi and Martha Karua as examples of lawyers who had spoken out on national matters.

Gachagua praised advocates from the region for providing free legal services to young people arrested during the Gen Z-led protests between 2024 and 2025. He said the lawyers represented the youths without charging legal fees, helped raise cash bail and sought reviews of bail terms he considered excessive.

He particularly thanked them for intervening in cases where some protesters faced terrorism-related charges, saying their efforts helped protect the young people from the consequences of the charges.

On abductions, he condemned the reported disappearance of advocate Abshir Abdi, whom he said was abducted in Kilimani on November 1.

He called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to establish the lawyer’s whereabouts and ensure he was produced dead or alive.

“If lawyers are abducted, what happens to ordinary Kenyans?” he posed.

Gachagua also praised lawyers who took part in political activities in Ol Kalou, describing the events as an example of how voters could respond to politicians they believed had misled them.

He expressed confidence in the quality of aspirants seeking elective positions in the Mt Kenya region, saying he hoped to build a political organisation similar to the one established by the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, whom he credited with building the Orange Democratic Movement into a party with strong parliamentary representation.

Sifuna, who also addressed the gathering, acknowledged his previous political disagreements with Gachagua but said they had agreed to put aside their differences because of what they viewed as a threat posed by Ruto’s administration.

“We are the most unlikely of bedfellows, as they say, and we have a very checkered history,” the Nairobi senator said.

He argued that the opposition needed to focus on its shared political objective instead of allowing personal differences to stand in the way of cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Sifuna also urged lawyers to remain committed to defending the Constitution and protecting the rights of Kenyans.