Kenyan personalities and their nicknames
Kenyans have ‘baptized’ politicians and their children nicknames they believe match their character.
While the process of acquiring new names is more or less spontaneous, these new terms tend to match with the way the politician acts or dresses.
Here are some of the nicknames;
1. Riggy G – It is more or less the official Twitter name of Rigathi Gachagua, the Deputy President (DP).
The name first popped on social media during the Deputy presidential debate in July 2022, and soon after went viral.
The DP accepted the nickname after gracing the gala at the 2022 Kenya Music Festival in Kisumu.
“Kenyans have decided to get creative with my two names and they have come up with a short form of my name,” said Gachagua.
The creator of the viral name “Riggy G”, Ivy Chelimo says she came up with the name by chance. Gachagua has since rewarded Chelimo with a job at his office.
2. Madam wild goose chase and hot air – Chief Justice Martha Koome has been nicknamed madam wild goose chase and hot air after she repeatedly used the words while reading the Supreme Court ruling that upheld President William Ruto’s August 2022 polls win.
The CJ has since attracted criticism on social media by Raila Odinga’s supporters forcing her to recently deactivated the reply option on her Twitter account.
3. Nabii – President William Ruto has been nicknamed Nabii (prophet) because Kenyans think he is ‘too religious’.
The Head of State has branded himself as a man of God since the campaign period and was known to attend several church events to pray. He also took the opportunity to pass on his political messages to the congregation.
He has since continued with the stance and has even hosted religious events at State House.
4. Quickmart Ivanka – Kenyans on Twitter recently handed this nickname to Kenya’s first daughter Charlene Ruto.
Ivanka, the first daughter of the 45th US President, was an executive vice president of the family-owned Trump Organization and served as a boardroom judge on her father’s TV show. In March 2017, she became a senior adviser to her father’s presidential administration.
Charlene was given the nickname after her consistent involvement in the government’s business in an unidentified capacity.
5. Mzee wa Kitendawili – Although this is an old nickname, it seems to stick in the minds of many Kenyans.
Mzee wa Kitendawili is the nickname of Raila Odinga, Kenya’s veteran politician.
This is because he loves using riddles which is translated as Kitendawili in Swahili.
In most of his political rallies, Raila used riddles which has hidden meaning.
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