Gachagua pays touching tribute as family prepares to bury last surviving aunt
The former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has come out to pen an emotional message ahead of the burial of his only surviving aunt on his mom’s side, set for Saturday, July 5, 2025.
In a statement shared across his social media accounts, Gachagua expressed that he finds himself at his lowest as the family prepares to lay to rest his loving aunt, Gladys Gathoni Kahua. He described the pain of the excruciating loss as hard to put into words.
Gachagua noted that Gathoni was the only surviving aunt on his mother’s side and that her absence leaves a void that cannot be filled.
He concluded by praying that the Almighty God rest her soul in eternal peace, adding that she will forever be missed and cherished in their hearts.
“Today, I find myself at my lowest as we prepare to lay to rest my loving aunt, Gladys Gathoni Kahua. The pain of this excruciating loss is hard to put into words. Gathoni was the only surviving aunt on my mother’s side, and her absence leaves a void that cannot be filled. “ Gachagua says.
He went ahead to share photos of himself and his family viewing the body at the mortuary before proceeding home. Gachagua, who is always a happy man, appeared sad in the photos; indeed, he was at his lowest.
His family, too, stood with their heads facing down. Gachagua, dressed in a black trench coat, seemed like he was not believing his eyes. They were all viewing the body in disbelief.
They were also joined by other people.
Her demise
This comes days after his only surviving maternal aunt, Gladys Gathoni Kahua, passed away on June 28, 2025, at Jamii Hospital in Karatina, Nyeri County, after a brief illness.
Gachagua described her as a second mother, mentor, and prayer warrior, affectionately known as “Tata wa Matunda” (the fruit aunt) due to the yellow passion fruits she grew on her farm.
He shared fond memories of their morning walks, breakfasts of porridge and boiled maize, and her stories about the Mau Mau struggle and their Meru heritage.
Gachagua was informed of her critical condition at 3:00 a.m. on June 28 and was advised to have her rushed to the hospital. Doctors initially reported that she was stable, but Gachagua, delayed by traffic near Ruiru, arrived at the hospital at 4:10 p.m.—just five minutes after her passing at 4:05 p.m.
He expressed deep grief, noting that the loss was as profound as the death of his mother in 2019, leaving him feeling “hollow and abandoned”.
