The unprecedented apology offered to former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday has created sharp and varied reactions in Mt Kenya region.
While many have welcomed the apology terming it as a good start for reconciling the restless Mt Kenya region, others have questioned whether DP Gachagua had other hidden political intentions that forced him to offer the apology.
Kikuyu Council of Elders (KCE) led by chairman Wachira Kiago were the first to voice support for the apology saying it was the first step in a long journey of uniting not just the Agikuyu community but also the Gema nation.
Kiago said he welcomed the apology and that he also supported the call by DP Gachagua to reach out to elders in his efforts of uniting and reconciling the people of the region. He however noted more needs to be done in the DP’s outreach efforts.
Jubilee Party Secretary General and former Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni while welcoming the apology wondered whether it was cosmetic or genuine. He wondered whether Gachagua’s apology was made for the sake of personal survival, or it was for the sake of the community.
Others who have been victims of Gachagua’s kind of politics dismissed the apology saying it must have been driven a selfish need for political survival implying that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) was becoming too hot for the DP.
However, many leaders and residents of Mt Kenya welcomed the apology and told Gachagua to seek out not just Mama Ngina, but also former President Uhuru and apologise to him also for insults and harassments he has undergone under the new regime.
Some cited the raid at their family farm at Northlands on the Eastern bypass where goods alleged to have been sponsored by the state raided the farm stole pedigree sheep, destroyed trees and attempted to demarcate the land amongst themselves.
On Monday, Gachagua shocked the nation when he went on Kameme FM owed by the Kenyatta Family and apologised to Mama Ngina saying it was wrong for them to insult her during the campaigns.
He said upon serious reflection he had seen it was against the Agikuyu traditions for children to insult their mothers in the manner as it happened during and after the elections.
Gachagua said he does not want to see such a thing repeated in future that Mama Ngina must be given her due respect as a matriarch of the community.
“It was wrong to have insulted our mother Mama Ngina as it happened during the elections. She deserves respect and I do not want to see such a thing happen again,” said Gachagua.
