Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that he deliberately chose to skip a high-profile memorial mass held in Nairobi in honour of the late Pope, despite receiving a formal invitation from the Archbishop of Nairobi, stating that matters of family must always come first.
Speaking on Thursday, April 24, 2025, during the burial of his aunt, Gladwell Wambui Wachira, in Hiriga, Mathira Constituency, Gachagua addressed mourners with a heartfelt message about the enduring importance of family ties, even in the face of national obligations.
He said he had carefully considered whether to attend the mass in Nairobi or to be present at the burial of his mother’s sister and ultimately chose the latter, insisting that familial duty carried far greater personal significance.
“There was a very big occasion today in Nairobi — a mass in honour of the late Pope, which had been convened by the Nairobi Archbishop,” Gachagua told the crowd.
“I sat down and did my calculations. I asked myself, should I travel to Nairobi to attend the Pope’s mass, or should I remain here and stand with my family at the burial of my mother’s sister? I chose to be here. I chose family.”
Gachagua reflected on the transient nature of politics, noting that while public service may be a passing phase, one’s family remains a permanent fixture — the place to which all people eventually return.
“Family is where it all ends. After all the politics, all the noise, and all the drama — it is the family that remains. That is why I am here.”
Turning to his cousins — whom he mentioned by name, including Kariuki, Mwangi, Wangari, Waruguru, Gacheke, Wanjiru, Muthoni, Nyaguthie, Nyang’ati and Wamuyu — the former Mathira MP urged them to hold steadfastly to one another in the aftermath of their loss.
He said that the passing of their aunt, one of the last remaining elders in their immediate family, should serve as a wake-up call to preserve unity and honour the legacy of those who came before them.
“You must let the love you had for your mother bind you together,” he said. “Remain united. Let this not be the last time you come together. This is the second last of our elders, and there will not be another. It is now upon us to carry the torch.”
Gachagua also expressed his joy at seeing so many of the family’s grandchildren gathered at the burial and called upon them to embrace and preserve their cultural identity, warning that without a strong sense of self and heritage, future generations risk losing their roots.
“I am very pleased to see so many grandchildren here,” he said. “Make sure you teach them Kikuyu. Teach them our culture. We must build a strong foundation for the future, one grounded in who we are,” he said.
2027 polls
During the burial, Gachagua also took time to assure Nyeri residents that he will make it a top priority to revive all stalled development projects in the region once he ascends to power in 2027, promising that the wounds inflicted by failed leadership will be healed and that the region will be restored to its developmental momentum.
He reflected on what he termed a betrayal of the people of Nyeri by the current regime and vowed that if given the mandate again, he would personally see to it that every road, water project, and stalled initiative in the county is completed.
“When the time comes, we will mend the leadership of this country. Mheshimiwa, do not be worried about the stalled development in this area — it may stall for the next two years, but we will come back and repair it,” he declared, adding that residents should not be discouraged by the temporary stall in development, especially within Mathira and its environs.
The former Mathira MP also vowed that his return to power would usher in a new era of repair and revival, promising that roads leading to the governor’s residence and neighbouring areas would be completed and that the water projects he previously initiated — including the installation of large tanks for irrigation and household use — would be fully restored.
“The roads leading to the governor’s residence and other areas will be completed. Even the water projects I started will be revived. You’ve seen the big tanks I helped install for irrigation and domestic use.”
Gachagua did not hold back in expressing his frustration, claiming that he had recently watched someone on television taking credit for a road he himself had constructed in 2021, a moment he said was both laughable and insulting to the people of Nyeri.
He claimed that the locals had themselves witnessed him handling major projects during his tenure as both MP and later as Deputy President, and he emphasised that no one could rewrite that history.
Leaders set for doom
He went on to hint at stormy days ahead for some politicians currently in power, cryptically suggesting that a few of them would soon “face the music” in the years to come.
Gachagua said he was thankful to God for rescuing him from their inner circle just in time, adding that 2027 would mark the moment they finally meet their reckoning.
In the same breath, he took a swipe at President William Ruto, accusing him of deceiving not only the nation but also religious leaders, fellow politicians, and even himself — all with false promises dressed in scripture.
“I don’t want to be there when he faces that music,” Gachagua told the crowd, saying that what Ruto is going through now is a battle coming at him from all sides and one he would not wish to be caught in. With a tinge of humour and regret, he said.
“We did wrong to go to the wedding in someone else’s car,” metaphorically referring to the Kenya Kwanza alliance, and promised never to make that mistake again, announcing that his own party would be officially launched in May.
He also issued a heartfelt public apology to the people of Nyeri, admitting that he had led them to trust President William Ruto — a man he now describes as having masterfully used religion and scripture to mask his true intentions. Gachagua confessed that he, too, had fallen for the façade, blinded by what he thought was a shared vision and integrity.
In a moment of raw honesty, he said he had since found comfort in knowing that even respected and anointed church leaders were misled by Ruto’s theatrics, a fact that, in his own words, made his error of judgment “negotiable.”
“He came with the Bible, and we believed him,” Gachagua told mourners. “But now I see clearly, and I ask you to forgive me for convincing you to follow him.”