By Nyanza Wire 
Rigathi Gachagua is not defending the Kikuyu community. He is systematically isolating and damaging it.
Through relentless ethnic mobilisation, the impeached former Deputy President has pushed a dangerous narrative that Kikuyus are Kenya’s superior engine the indispensable drivers of the national economy who must stand alone against “haters” from other communities.
He has repeatedly claimed Kikuyus singlehandedly fought for independence, ignoring the collective national struggle. He brands fellow Kikuyus who disagree with him as “traitors,” “tukunias,” and “enemies of the mountain.”
The latest low is his outrageous Ebola conspiracy. Gachagua has turned a serious public health discussion around a proposed US-backed quarantine facility in Laikipia into a genocidal plot by President Ruto to “wipe out” the Mt Kenya community, particularly Kikuyus. His supporters now parrot that the virus is a targeted weapon against them. This is not politics it is dangerous, poisonous bigotry that reduces a lethal disease into an ethnic targeting tool.
What does Gachagua gain? Relevance through fear. By constantly telling Kikuyus they are hated, special, and under siege, he positions himself as their indispensable saviour. The result? A once-respected community increasingly viewed nationally and even internationally as insular, paranoid, and easily manipulated. Phrases like “bila sisi Kenya haiwezi simama” and defensive tribal siege mentality have replaced broader Kenyan identity.
True leadership unites and builds confidence. Gachagua’s brand isolates, breeds resentment, and turns legitimate national issues into tribal battlegrounds. In just under two years out of office, he has done more to damage the image and cohesion of the Kikuyu people than any external force.
Kikuyus and all Kenyans must reject this toxic conmanship. A leader who profits from dividing his own people against the rest of Kenya is not a defender. He is the community’s number one liability.
Rigathi Gachagua is not saving Mt Kenya. He is burying its future under layers of bitterness, superiority complex, and manufactured victimhood. Kenya, and especially the mountain, deserves far better.