NYANDARUA, Kenya — Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday struck a conciliatory tone and called for restraint, urging leaders to separate politics from mourning, following sharp criticism from his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua, during the memorial service of the late Ol Kalou MP David Njuguna Kiaraho.
Speaking at the service in Ol Kalou, Kindiki emphasised the need for unity and decorum, saying funerals and church gatherings should not be turned into political battlegrounds.
“I want to encourage that going forward as a community, as a nation, let us learn how to respect one another, families and communities alike,” Kindiki said.
“Let us put down political temperatures to allow mourning because we have a lot of opportunities to do politics outside the church and events like this one,” he added.
Kindiki deliberately avoided responding directly to Gachagua’s criticism, choosing instead to maintain a measured tone and appeal for calm amid rising tensions in the Mt. Kenya region.
Earlier, Gachagua had faulted the Deputy President over remarks allegedly made regarding a possible by-election in Ol Kalou before the late legislator had been buried, terming it a breach of Mt. Kenya cultural norms.
“Wewe Kindiki, kuna mahali umetukosea. Umefanya makosa Tharaka kuongelea mambo ya by-election kabla Kiaraho hajazikwa… We don’t discuss inheriting somebody until he is buried; hapo professor umeanguka kidogo, utarekebisha,” Gachagua said.
Despite the public rebuke, Kindiki refrained from escalating the exchange, reiterating his call for respect and unity during the mourning period.
The memorial service drew a high-profile political audience, including President William Ruto and Moses Wetang’ula, alongside several Cabinet Secretaries and regional leaders, reflecting the late Kiaraho’s political influence.
The event comes at a time of heightened political activity in the Mt. Kenya region, with leaders positioning themselves ahead of potential by-elections and future contests, even as internal rivalries continue to play out publicly.
Kiaraho, who died on March 29, 2026, at Nairobi Hospital at the age of 62, had been a key political figure in Nyandarua County.
The exchange between Gachagua and Kindiki underscores the fragile political dynamics in the region, where shifting alliances and succession debates are increasingly shaping public discourse.
