Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has sharply criticised former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for making controversial remarks about the Catholic Church during an interview.
This admonishment came after Gachagua, on Sunday, April 27, 2025, drew a troubling parallel between President William Ruto’s failed attempt to light a candle during Pope Francis’ burial mass in Rome and the deaths of Gen Z protesters during the anti-Finance Bill protests in 2024.
In his statement, Gachagua claimed that the failure of Ruto’s candle to light was a spiritual sign related to the bloodshed of young protesters.
He asserted that Ruto’s involvement in the police crackdown on peaceful protesters, which led to their deaths, was now haunting him.
“You saw it yourself — he went all the way to Rome, he was handed a candle, he knelt to light it, but it refused. Anyone who played a part in spilling the blood of Gen Z will never find peace in this life,” he stated.
“William Ruto personally ordered the police to shoot and kill innocent Gen Z children, little ones whose only crime was seeking justice. The blood they shed is now tormenting him day and night. That is why he cannot sleep,” he added.
Kaluma, however, in his statement on Monday, April 28, 2025, found Gachagua’s remarks disturbing and lambasted him for politicising the Catholic Church’s affairs.
“Nobody stopped you from joining the Catholic faithful to mourn Pope Francis. Please take Catholic Church matters out of your mouth,” Kaluma stated.
Similar remarks
In a related development, Laikipia County Senator John Kinyua also raised concerns over the symbolism of Ruto’s candle failing to light during the Pope’s burial mass, suggesting it was a sign that Ruto’s time in power was running out.
Speaking at the 26th-anniversary celebrations of St. Louis Igwamiti Parish in Ol Joro Orok Constituency, Nyandarua County, on Sunday, April 27, 2025, Kinyua expressed his shock at witnessing the event and warned that the incident pointed to Ruto losing his grip on power by 2027.
“I was shocked in a way I have never been before. I saw our president, William Ruto, attending the Vatican burial, and to my amazement, all the leaders who were seated at the front were given candles. While the others’ candles lit up, his did not,” he said.
“What surprised me even more was that he was politely asked to move a little backwards because his candle refused to light, while those whose candles had lit were moved forward. That, my people, is a sign that come 2027, his candle will have been extinguished,” he added.
Kinyua connected the incident to the perceived failures of the Kenya Kwanza government, accusing it of abandoning its promises to the people of Laikipia.
“We were promised that elephants would be kept in the forest to stop them from ravaging our crops, yet they continue to destroy them. Robbers have not been tamed either, and every day we cry for help, to the point we start wondering whether we are praying to God in vain,” he stated.