SEATTLE, U.S. – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has officially kicked off his two-month tour of the United States, arriving on Thursday morning at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to a jubilant reception from Kenyan diaspora supporters.
Gachagua, accompanied by his wife Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, was greeted with song, dance, and cheers from a group of enthusiastic Kenyans living in the U.S., marking the start of a series of town hall engagements and strategic meetings across major American cities.
“I arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington to kick off my diaspora engagement with Kenyans in the USA. I was warmly welcomed by jubilant Kenyans here, and I am truly excited,” Gachagua said in a statement posted on X.
He added that the trip would allow him to engage Kenyans abroad on the current state of affairs in Kenya and build partnerships with international stakeholders.
Accompanied by my beloved spouse, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, I arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington to kick off my diaspora engagement with Kenyans in the USA and the international community on issues affecting our beloved country.I was warmly welcomed by
While Gachagua has not formally declared his candidacy for the 2027 General Election, his overseas mission is widely seen as a strategic effort to bolster his political profile and position the opposition as a viable alternative to President William Ruto’s administration.
Before his departure on Wednesday night, the DCP party leader was seen off at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by close allies, including Nyandarua Senator John Methu, Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina, and former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala.
The U.S. trip marks his first foreign visit since his dramatic ouster from office in October 2024.
Diaspora engagements and investor meetings
Gachagua is expected to tour five major cities—Dallas, California, Seattle, Boston, and Baltimore—where he will hold town halls and attend social functions aimed at mobilizing diaspora support and promoting his reform agenda.
Sources close to the former deputy president have hinted at scheduled meetings with American investors who have expressed interest in engaging with opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 polls.
His U.S. visit follows a similar overseas engagement by former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, who launched his own series of diaspora meetings in Texas earlier this month, signalling growing international outreach by key opposition figures.
