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Gen Z confronts Gachagua in US over tribal rhetoric
28th July, 2025 01:01 AM
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was caught off guard after a bold Gen Z woman, Valentine Wanjiru Githae, confronted him over his persistent tribal remarks during his ongoing tour of the United States.
The incident took place on Sunday, July 27, 2025, during a town hall meeting with Kenyans living in the diaspora. Gachagua, who has been vocal in defending the Mt Kenya region, was taken aback when Valentine took the microphone and directly challenged his rhetoric.
“Mheshimiwa, we are here to tell you the truth. If we don’t tell you the truth as Gen Zs, we are doomed, and Kasongo will be back in power,” she said passionately.
Adding;
“We have many questions, but because of time, I will not address them all. I’ll go straight to the point. You need to start positioning yourself as a national leader, not a tribal leader.”
Valentine introduced herself as a native of Mathira, Karandi.
She told Gachagua that young people, especially from her generation, were no longer willing to tolerate divisive tribal politics. She emphasised that failing to speak up would only perpetuate the cycle of poor leadership and return Kenya to an undesirable political past.
In her address, Valentine urged Gachagua to abandon narrow regional politics and instead begin shaping himself as a national leader capable of uniting the country. She made it clear that the era of tribal kingpins was over, and leaders needed to appeal to the collective aspirations of all Kenyans, not just specific ethnic blocs.
She also raised concerns about Gachagua’s choice to speak in Kikuyu during the engagement, pointing out that while she understood the language, many in the room did not. She warned that such actions were alienating and only served to deepen ethnic fault lines among Kenyans.
“The first mistake that has been made is speaking in Kikuyu at this event. Not everyone here understands Kikuyu, though I understand a bit. Unless that is addressed, all this will be for nothing. Because the moment we position ourselves as Kikuyus, another group will do the same, and before we know it, we’re back in the same tribal divisions,” she said.
Gachagua’s firm response
Gachagua defended his actions, claiming that the Mt Kenya community has been targeted and marginalised, both politically and economically.
“My daughter, if you follow what happened two weeks before I came to America, you will realise why I have to defend the Mt. Kenya people,” Gachagua said.
Adding;
“Businesses for Mt. Kenya people were targeted for destruction. In other areas, they were not destroyed. This was meant to intimidate the people of that region into silence.”
He further alleged that the justice system has unfairly targeted people from Mt Kenya in the aftermath of recent anti-government protests.
“Ninety-two per cent of those arrested and charged with terrorism-related offences were from the Mt. Kenya region,” he claimed.
Gachagua also referenced a controversial meeting in Mt. Elgon where, according to him, President Ruto was present when Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama made comments about isolating the Mt Kenya community.
“If you remember, there was a meeting in Mt. Elgon where William Ruto sat, and the MP for Webuye West, Dan Wanyama, said that all communities will gang up to isolate the Mountain people—and William Ruto was there laughing and clapping,” Gachagua said.
He insisted that he is willing to pay any political price for defending his community.
“Somebody must defend the mountain. If we all get intimidated and allow people to be silenced, what happens? I say, I don’t have to be president; I don’t have to be anybody in Kenya. And if I will be a nobody because I stand with my people, so be it.”
Boston
Gachagua’s comments during his tour have sparked a wave of criticism, especially his advice to the Mt Kenya diaspora community to stop remitting money back home until his team returns to power, while addressing Kenyans in Boston.
“When you destroy this community, you destroy Kenya.” He blamed President Ruto for declaring what he termed a “war on the mountain” and claimed it has caused a drop in business confidence and tax remittance from the region.
“Since William Ruto declared war on the mountain, the economy is almost collapsing because people have stopped paying taxes. People have stopped investing. They are waiting for the government, just like you are holding your money here. That is what people are doing, even ourselves,” he told the audience.
He praised the Mt Kenya community as central to Kenya’s economic engine.
“We are very aggressive, we are very enterprising, and we are very outgoing. That’s why we are in every town in Kenya,” Gachagua said.
