Gachagua defends Mt Kenya identity, urges lawyers to take an active role in 2027 polls

Gachagua said communities across the country had a right to assemble, celebrate their heritage and discuss issues affecting them, questioning why similar gatherings involving other communities did not attract the same criticism.

He made the remarks on Saturday, November 7, during the second edition of Ngemi cia Watho, an annual cultural and networking event organised by the GEMA WATHO Association in Thika, Kiambu County.

The gathering brought together lawyers and other legal professionals from the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Akamba communities, alongside political leaders, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.

In his address, Gachagua cited gatherings organised by the Mulembe community and pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya, arguing that meetings involving the Mt Kenya community should equally be recognised as platforms for regional integration.

"When the Mulembe nation, Wetangula and Musalia, calls their people together for a conversation, this is regional integration. When the people of Northern Kenya meet, they say the pastoralists are discussing their issues. When no other communities meet, nobody has a problem. But when the mountaineers meet, like they have done today, we are accused of tribalism," he said.

"Shame on them! We are who we are, and we have no apologies to make to anybody."

The DCP party leader urged members of the community not to feel ashamed of their ethnic identity, saying they should continue embracing their culture and language regardless of their educational and professional achievements.

He argued that Kenya's different communities were part of the country's diversity and had a right to preserve their cultural identities.

Gachagua also directed criticism at President William Ruto, saying members of the Mt Kenya community should not be made to feel like outsiders in their own country.

"Let William Ruto know the mountain people are not refugees in their own country. And that is why we have decided as a region, as a community, we must send him home one way," he said.

He further said the region would settle on one presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 General Election, adding that if he became President, he would host the third edition of Ngemi cia Watho at the Sagana State Lodge.

The former Deputy President also used the gathering to urge lawyers to take a more active role in defending the Constitution, protecting human rights and safeguarding the country's electoral process ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He called on advocates to participate in monitoring the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), urging them to serve as election observers across the country to help safeguard the integrity of the polls.

Gachagua argued that lawyers had a responsibility to scrutinise electoral procedures, saying the processes leading to an election were just as important as the actual voting.

"The processes are as important as the actual election. And we must work with you so that you are observers across the country to make sure William Ruto does not steal our election," he said.

He also challenged the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) to speak more forcefully against what he described as injustices in the country, citing former LSK leaders Paul Muite, Nelson Havi and Martha Karua as examples of lawyers who had spoken out on national issues.

The DCP party leader praised lawyers from the region for providing pro bono services to young people arrested during the Gen Z-led protests between 2024 and 2025.

He said the advocates represented the arrested youths without charging legal fees, helped raise cash bail and sought reviews of bail terms he described as exorbitant.

He particularly thanked the lawyers for intervening when some protesters faced terrorism-related charges, saying their efforts helped prevent the young people from suffering the consequences of the charges.

On abductions, Gachagua condemned the reported disappearance of advocate Abshir Abdi, whom he said was abducted in Kilimani on November 1.

He called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to establish the advocate's whereabouts and ensure he was produced dead or alive.

"If lawyers are abducted, what happens to ordinary Kenyans?" he posed.

Gachagua further praised lawyers who participated in political activities in Ol Kalou, describing the events as an example of how voters could respond to politicians they believed had deceived them.

He said he was also encouraged by the calibre of aspirants seeking elective positions in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the next General Election.

The DCP party leader compared the political organisation he hoped to see in the region to that of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, whom he praised for building the Orange Democratic Movement into a party with strong parliamentary representation.

Sifuna, who also addressed the gathering, acknowledged his past political disagreements with Gachagua but said the two had agreed to put aside their differences because of what they considered the threat posed by Ruto's administration.

"We are the most unlikely of bedfellows, as they say, and we have a very checkered history," the Nairobi senator said.

Sifuna said the opposition needed to prioritise its common political objective rather than allow personal differences to stand in the way of cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.

He also challenged lawyers to remain active in defending the Constitution and protecting the rights of Kenyans.