Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua attended a church service at PCEA Church in Kayole on Sunday, July 21, 2024. Later in the day, Gachagua is expected to address various issues, including the elusive unity in the Mount Kenya region and the planned protests by Gen Zs scheduled for Tuesday, July 24, 2024.
The protests follow President William Ruto’s decision to reappoint six cabinet secretaries who were previously dismissed after widespread public outcry. On Saturday, July 20, 2024, Gachagua urged the youth to halt their demonstrations, assuring them that the government had heard their concerns and was addressing their demands.
“Our sons and daughters, we have heard you, you have spoken clearly and we ask you to allow the government to implement what you have asked for,” Gachagua said at the Mwea PEFA church in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also cautioned against allowing criminals to infiltrate peaceful protests and cause property destruction.
For weeks, Kenya’s youthful population has been demonstrating to compel the Kenya Kwanza administration to sack all cabinet secretaries and promote transparency and accountability in government.
On July 19, 2024, President William Ruto reinstated some of the previously dismissed cabinet secretaries, leading to mixed reactions among the youth. They have planned protests starting Tuesday, July 24, 2024, to express dissatisfaction with the reinstatement of former officials and the nomination of new cabinet secretaries considered allies of the previously sacked individuals.
Gachagua has also called for unity in the Mount Kenya region. His recent tribal rhetoric has alienated him from some Mount Kenya leaders. During his tour of Kirinyaga County on Saturday, July 20, 2024, all four MPs from the area, including County Senator Kamau Murango, who demanded an apology, skipped the event.
The absent MPs were Gichugu MP Gichimu Githinji, Ndia MP George Kariuki, Kirinyaga Central MP Gachoki Gitari, and Mwea MP Mary Maingi, leaving Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina to welcome the Deputy President. Maina criticized the MPs’ absence, while Gachagua urged them to spend more time in their constituencies to secure reelection in the 2027 polls.
“We have traitors in our region; they have no interest of the people at heart. They only think about their stomachs and they should be rejected,” Gachagua said.
