NAIROBI, Kenya- Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday held a rare public meeting during the burial of former Kirinyaga Senator Daniel Karaba, drawing political attention in the Mt Kenya region.
The two leaders came face to face at Karaba’s rural home in Kirinyaga County, where a host of political figures, family members, and mourners had gathered to pay their last respects.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that Uhuru arrived after other leaders had already assembled and was warmly received by Gachagua and other dignitaries present.
The pair greeted each other with a handshake and a brief embrace before proceeding to their seats.
What followed caught the attention of many observers.
The two, who have had a strained political relationship in recent years, were seen exchanging light moments, smiling, chatting, and appearing at ease in each other’s company. At one point, Uhuru was even seen giving Gachagua a thumbs-up as they interacted.
The meeting is significant given the political history between the two leaders.
Gachagua once served as Uhuru’s personal assistant before their relationship deteriorated amid shifting alliances and the fallout that defined the 2022 transition and subsequent political realignments.
Their interaction, though brief and within a solemn setting, is likely to fuel speculation about evolving political dynamics in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 general election.
While neither leader addressed the nature of their engagement publicly, the optics of the encounter, warm, relaxed, and unguarded, have already stirred debate about a possible thaw in relations or emerging political calculations.
