Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua used a family memorial service in Nairobi to signal a political realignment, with Gachagua offering a public apology over the region's past electoral choices.
The leaders spoke on Wednesday at the PCEA Nairobi West Church in Lang’ata during the requiem mass for Beatrice Wambui Muturi, Uhuru’s first cousin. The solemn gathering drew several political figures, including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa.
Gachagua used the platform to address the Mt Kenya electorate, admitting that leaders and residents made a grave mistake by ignoring Uhuru's counsel ahead of the 2022 General Election. He recounted how Uhuru had explicitly warned them against supporting President William Ruto's presidential bid.
"Baba Ngina called us and told us not to elect this man, but we failed to listen," Gachagua told the congregation. "We elected him, and that is why we are here. I was not even spared; I was chased away and went to Wamunyoro, but God is good, I did not die."
To illustrate the consequences of disregarding experienced leadership, Gachagua invoked a parable in his native Gikuyu language. He described how Uhuru had warned them about a leopard that would eventually turn on them after preying on smaller sheep.
