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Don’t greet me: Junet hilariously recalls dramatic encounter with Gachagua on a plane
11th August, 2026 06:29 PM
Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed has hilariously recalled an awkward encounter he had with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua while the two were travelling on the same plane.
Junet said Gachagua refused to return his greeting, leaving him wondering what he had done to deserve the cold response.
Junet explained that he was travelling with Gachagua from London when he decided to greet him. He said he addressed Gachagua respectfully as mheshimiwa, but the former deputy president made it clear that he did not want to exchange greetings. Junet said he was left asking what he had done wrong.
“Rigathi has transferred the hate he had for Raila to me. He hated Raila with a passion,” Junet Mohamed said during a press briefing on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
Junet went on to explain the exchange, recalling how he tried to greet Gachagua despite the tension between them. He said the response he received was direct and left little room for further conversation. The politician recalled the moment while discussing his relationship with Gachagua.
“The other day I was travelling with him in the same plane from London, and he refused to greet me. He refused,” Junet Mohamed said.
An awkward moment on the plane
Junet said he still tried to understand why Gachagua did not want to greet him. He explained that he asked Gachagua what he had done, but was again told not to greet him. The exchange, as Junet told it, turned an ordinary moment on the plane into an uncomfortable but funny encounter.
“I told him ‘How are you mheshimiwa?’ and he said ‘No, don’t greet me. I told him, ‘ What have I done? ’ He said, ’ Don’t greet me,” Junet Mohamed said.
The Suna East MP also brought Gachagua’s wife, Dorcas, into the story. He said she greeted him but also advised him to simply sit down. Junet recalled the interaction as he explained the unusual situation he found himself in while travelling with the former deputy president.
“His wife Dorcas greeted me. She told me, no no, just sit down,” Junet Mohamed said.
Junet used the encounter to make a wider point about the relationship between himself and Gachagua. He linked the treatment he received to Gachagua’s past political differences with the late Raila Odinga, saying he felt that the former deputy president had now directed that dislike towards him.
Junet’s account carried a light tone despite the political issue behind his remarks. He is known for making humorous statements at times, including during press briefings where serious political discussions can also draw laughter. He ended the story by pointing out the importance of the person at the centre of the encounter.
“Now that is a man we are discussing here in Kenya,” Junet Mohamed said.
