Pastor Dorcas Wanjiku Rigathi has formally been ordained as a Reverend in a ceremony held at her maternal home in Wamunyoro, Nyeri County.
The event, which attracted clergy from various denominations, family members, political figures and community leaders, marked a significant milestone for a ministry that has grown in national visibility over the past decade.
The ordination took place on November 15, 2025.
The service featured prayers, laying of hands and formal commissioning by senior clergy, who acknowledged Pastor Dorcas’s work in faith-led social programmes.
Her elevation to the role of Reverend now formalises the pastoral responsibilities she has undertaken for years and places her in a new position of recognised spiritual authority.
Her husband, Rigathi Gachagua, speaking emotionally during the ceremony, described his wife as “the glue that holds our family together” and praised her for a life defined by integrity, compassion and unwavering service.
The DCP Party Boss emphasised that her ministry had not emerged suddenly but had been shaped by decades of commitment to vulnerable communities, especially widows, orphans, persons with disabilities and young men battling addiction.
“She has always had a heart for those society looks away from,” he said.
Their son, Keith Ikunu Gachagua, also delivered a heartfelt tribute, recalling his mother’s long journey in ministry and her deep involvement in community outreach.
He told the congregation that her compassion was rooted in years of hands-on work, both in church settings and through structured programmes supporting disadvantaged groups.
Keith highlighted her advocacy for the boy child, a cause that she has championed consistently through mentorship, rehabilitation partnerships and campaigns focused on helping young men overcome drug dependency, street life and unemployment.
His description of her as Mama Boys reflected the nickname she has earned among the communities she serves.
The ceremony also revealed new details about how the family supports her ministry. Gachagua disclosed that he, his sons and Pastor Dorcas contribute 10 percent of their income towards sustaining her ministry and outreach programmes.
He described the tithe as both a personal commitment and a reflection of the values that guide their home.
The pledge, he said, ensures continuity in the work she undertakes, including support for rehabilitation centres, widows’ groups and church-led community initiatives.
The ordination also drew political figures, including former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka
For Pastor Dorcas, the ordination crowns years of public service that took on new prominence during her husband’s tenure as Deputy President, when she led the Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President (OSDP).
Through that role, she initiated national programmes focused on restoring dignity to marginalised groups, particularly widows and the boy child.
Her work frequently involved collaboration with churches, county governments and rehabilitation institutions, forming a network that extended her ministry’s influence beyond traditional pastoral spaces.
In Nyeri and surrounding counties, her outreach has been especially prominent. Community groups that work with people with disabilities, as well as shelters for orphans and abandoned children, have long partnered with her ministry on empowerment initiatives.
Many of these groups were represented at the ordination.