‘I’m your son!’ DP Rigathi Gachagua now says he is a Meru
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua announced on Saturday that he is a baite (Meru), saying his late mother, Martha Kirigo, was from the community.
He promised that when the appointments of Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) are made, “we will consider my home area of Meru” and “you will hear for yourselves”.
He said Meru and the government were one, and that being a son of the area was an added advantage.
“My mother was a Meru who came from Kibirichia and married in Wamunyoro village in Mathira constituency. Some of my cousins live in Katheri. I’m your son,” he said.
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Addressing stakeholders during a fundraising campaign for the construction of a dormitory block for Abothuguchi Boys High School in Imenti Central, Mr Gachagua said, “I consider myself a son of this community because a child belongs to its mother”.
He said he would ensure that Meru County, his motherland, benefits from the Kenya Kwanza Alliance government.
“We are going to shape this Meru until it is upright. This is a very important county for us because it contributed a lot to our victory. You are making President William Ruto and I walk around Meru with our chests out in pride,” he said.
That pride, Gachagua added, will ensure that Meru becomes a key partner throughout the Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s tenure.
“To those who have shown us love, we will show them love. We cannot repay good with bad. I and the President are a grateful lot. I said recently that this is a government that rewards those who have shown loyalty to us and I was castigated. I said we must take care of our people. There is no problem showing love to those who have shown us love,” he said.
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Addressing security committees in Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties, Mr Gachagua warned them that “we will not tolerate ineptitude that will bring shame on us”.
“We don’t want crime here. I as the Deputy President, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, Chief Justice Martha Koome… we call this district our home. We cannot be fools and allow shame to be our trademark. No criminal activity should be entertained here,” he said.
On alcohol and drug abuse, Mr Gachagua reiterated that he would not relent and was ready for any possible backlash from vice peddlers.
“I am ready for war. The government is ready for this war. Bring it on, we are here. We are ready. I will be a fool if as Deputy President I accept that my people are being killed by alcohol and drugs,” he said.
He urged the people of Meru and Mount Kenya in general to give birth in large numbers to ensure that the communities there maintain their population numbers.