Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has ignited a firestorm of condemnation across the political spectrum after making highly controversial and insensitive remarks, delivered in his vernacular language, that appeared to mock and politicise the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Speaking at a burial ceremony in Nyeri, a viral video captured the Governor suggesting that Odinga’s passing was a divine intervention intended to redirect government resources back to the Mount Kenya region.
In his speech, Governor Kahiga explicitly linked Odinga’s death to a shift in government development priorities. He claimed that the political arrangement between President William Ruto and the late Raila Odinga had previously seen national development focus unduly directed towards the Nyanza region.
Kahiga went on to suggest that Raila’s death had “levelled the playing field,” forcing all political actors, including the President, to rethink their strategy ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“You guys can see, you can see what had been planned but God brought something up. Now it’s total confusion. Everybody can see that. We did not harbor hate for anyone but God came through for us. Because the plan that had been hatched if you look keenly, for you who do not travel because I was in that region, all goodies were being directed there because of tomorrow’s plans because it seemed like they did away with us but God came and brought this thing,” Kahiga stated.
He further added a mocking tone to his comments on Odinga’s spiritual fate:
“So now people have been told to go back to the drawing board because the plan that was there was probably to throw us out. But who is God. Does he take ugali at somebody’s house or sleep in Kayole? He came through in his own way. He saw up their people in heaven are disagreeing a lot and came for Baba so that he can go and smoothen things up there.”
The Governor’s comments have been met with swift and furious condemnation from leaders and the public, who have universally termed the remarks insensitive, divisive, and untimely given the national period of mourning following the veteran leader’s demise.
Political figures from both the opposition and the ruling party criticised the Governor for politicising a national tragedy and for his failure to show basic respect for the dead and their grieving family. Critics pointed out that Kahiga’s comments distracted from the solemn eulogies and tributes being delivered across the country, instead opting for a divisive political narrative.
Paradoxically, only days earlier, Governor Kahiga had joined the nation in eulogising the former Prime Minister, describing him as an “astute leader” who “sacrificed his life for the sake of his country’s development and governance.” This stark contrast between his official statement and his vernacular address at the burial has further fuelled the outrage.
The controversy highlights the persistent challenges of ethnic and regional politics in Kenya, where development issues are often framed in zero-sum terms despite calls for national unity.
The incident is expected to intensify the debate over political decency and the appropriate conduct of public officials during a time of national bereavement.
This is not the first time the Governor find himself in trouble for insentive remarks targeting other communities eight months ago during a funeral Kahiga used a phrase that seemed to demean the Maasai Community. He however issued an apology
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