Omogeni commends Gen Z who confronted Gachagua in US
By Luke Oluoch, July 29, 2025Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni has weighed in on the incident where a young lady confronted former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during his ongoing tour of the USA.
Speaking during a live interview on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, Omogeni hailed the lady for her bold stance, terming her sentiments as a topic that Kenyan leaders need to heed.
The senator noted that the discussion touched on a wider problem of ethnic mobilization that extends beyond the members of the Kikuyu ethnicity as Kenya looks to move away from ethnic politics to national unity.
Bold
“What I want to applaud the young lady, Valentine, for is that she is bold and could say things as they were. How I wish she could speak to our leaders. Let’s not focus on Gachagua; ethnic mobilisation is happening everywhere. Everyone who forms a party finds roots in his tribe first, then does ethnic mobilisation with other tribes,” he stated.
Omogeni has further backed the young generation to show their political might come the 2027 polls.
“We still don’t know what the impact of Gen Zs will be on the ballot; the test will be with us in 2027. We’ll see if the Gen Zs can transform their strength on the ballot and be a factor in our politics,” he added.
The lawyer parted by urging Kenyans leaders to consider lending a listening ear to the country’s youth, citing the dire impact of ignoring them as witnessed in most part of the country
We need to salute this generation. Unfortunately, we respond to their course by killing them. If I were the president, I would listen to them. Africa has shown that you never end well when you focus on the politics of ethnicity,” he stated.
Omogeni’s remarks come after Valentine Wanjiru Githae confronted Gachagua 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.
“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.