Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has seemingly shut down ongoing conversations about the Mt. Kenya kingship, declaring former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the region’s undisputed leader.
DP Gachagua, speaking during an exclusive interview on Citizen TV on Friday night, made the declaration as he reminisced the electioneering period during which he and Uhuru did not see eye-to-eye.
This due to the fact that Uhuru had chosen to back the presidential candidate of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, while Gachagua had placed all his chips on William Ruto – who eventually clinched the top seat.
According to the deputy president, however, he abused and ridiculed Uhuru during that time over his decision to back Mr. Odinga, whom he had all along told them was a bad person, but all of a sudden wanted them to receive warmly.
Gachagua went on to state that President Ruto, after also convincing them not to look Mr. Odinga’s way, has now turned back and allowed him into government and is singing his praises – the very same thing Uhuru did.
He therefore went ahead to state that Uhuru may have been right all along, adding that he was forced to swallow the humble pie and tender an apology to the former President and his family for all the insults he hurled at them during the campaigns.
“Myself, and my political base, the Mt. Kenya region, have no problem whatsoever with Raila Odinga. In fact, what the people are saying, and it’s very interesting, is that: ‘A Mt. Kenya king does not pronounce himself twice on a matter.’ Our son Uhuru Kenyatta had pronounced himself on this matter, so that pronouncement carries the day. As we stand today, me and the mountain people are quite happy with Raila Odinga,” he said.
“Myself and the mountain people, feel very bad that we punished Uhuru Kenyatta. We demeaned him, we told him off, we embarrassed him for telling us that Raila Odinga is a good man. And we were very brutal with him, and we really hammered him.”
He added: “It has come to our knowledge that it was very unfair, because his crime was to tell us that Raila Odinga is a good man. Now that Ruto has also said Raila is a good man, that is why I apologized to Uhuru Kenyatta and his family…and I owed him an apology, on behalf of the community. Because what he had told us is what the President has told us, we had no business fighting, disrespecting and humiliating him. Uhuru Kenyatta is the undisputed king of the mountain.”
