Kenya’s political landscape has often been dominated by personalities inflated far beyond their merit. Few embody this more than former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, a man whose rise is more about borrowed glory than personal achievement.
Contrast him with Prof. Kithure Kindiki, the current Deputy President, whose journey is the story of grit, intellect, and service. Kindiki is a self-made leader. In 2013, he became the first Majority Leader of the Senate, building the legislative agenda of a brand-new House from scratch. Later, as Deputy Speaker and a two-term Senator for Tharaka Nithi, he left an indelible mark of seriousness and competence. His career is a case study in merit and discipline.
Now, let’s talk about Gachagua. His career in the civil service stagnated; he never rose beyond District Officer before abandoning duty altogether. In 2017, during Jubilee nominations, he was humbled in Mathira by Mama Wambura wa Maranga and had to be rescued by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Even in Parliament, Jubilee found him so underwhelming that he was parked in the weak Members’ Services and Facilities Committee—where his record was nothing short of dismal.
Without his late brother Nderitu Gachagua’s name and political goodwill, Rigathi would be a political nonentity. He is the perfect “Simon Makonde” of Kenyan politics—a creature of convenience, inflated through proximity rather than performance.
Kenya deserves leaders who rise through sweat, ideas, and service, not those whose reputations are manufactured. Prof. Kindiki represents the best of what hard work can deliver. Gachagua, on the other hand, is a political wash wash—a mirage packaged as substance.
It’s time we stopped celebrating mediocrity wrapped in noise and instead acknowledged leadership that is truly earned.
