Gachagua: 80 per cent of Kenyans in USA are from Mt Kenya
By Steve Ireri, July 20, 2025Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that an overwhelming majority of Kenyans living in the United States originate from the Mount Kenya region, underscoring the community’s significant influence both abroad and at home.
Speaking during an engagement with the Kenyan diaspora in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday, July 20, 2025, Gachagua disclosed that about 80 per cent of the diaspora population in the US comes from Mt Kenya.
“I have done some checks, and 80 per cent of the diaspora brigade in the United States are people from the mountain. And that is who we are. We are very hard-working and very focused,” Gachagua said.
He emphasised the important role the Mt Kenya community plays in shaping Kenya’s economic and social landscape, urging the diaspora to appreciate their influence and continue contributing positively.
“I want to ask you to know that you have too much influence back home,” he added.
Economy
In the same address, the DCP leader openly accused President William Ruto of undermining the Mount Kenya region, claiming that this political hostility has directly contributed to Kenya’s worsening economic state.
Gachagua said that Mt Kenya remains the heartbeat of the nation’s economy and warned that crippling its businesses and entrepreneurs will inevitably cripple the entire country.
Gachagua argued that the economic slowdown is partly because many people from Mt Kenya have deliberately reduced tax payments and investments as they wait for a more favourable administration.
He painted a picture of a community that has chosen to hold back its resources until there is political stability and economic recovery.
“When you destroy this community, you destroy Kenya. We are the drivers of the Kenyan economy. Since William Ruto declared war on the mountain, the economy is almost collapsing because people have stopped paying taxes and investing as they wait for a new government. The way you are hoarding your money here, even in Kenya, that is what people are doing. We do small businesses and are holding on to the rest, waiting for the economy to change,” Gachagua said.
He further praised the industrious nature of the Mt Kenya people, describing them as highly entrepreneurial and resilient both at home and abroad.
He praised the region as inherently aggressive and resilient in matters of entrepreneurship, noting that it is no surprise that in every Kenyan town, one is bound to find a Mt Kenya person either living or running a business.
“This is the community that is responsible for the growth of the Kenyan economy. And that is why you are successful here. Because that is the way we were born. We are very aggressive people, very entrepreneurial and outgoing, and that is why we are in every town in Kenya. That is why you are here,” he added.