Rigathi Gachagua has successfully turned Mt Kenya politics into a dangerous loyalty test where Kikuyus are now encouraged to publicly attack and humiliate their own for failing to pass his personal political purity test.
The latest target is Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.
For days, Gachagua’s online army has subjected him to vicious abuse, branding him a “mole,” “traitor” and “tukun ia” after he missed the crucial vote on the Finance Bill 2026 on June 18.
Nyoro was out of the country on official engagements he says could not be postponed. He has since publicly accepted responsibility, stating that “no explanation should absolve the blame.”
But facts have not stopped the onslaught. The attacks intensified because Nyoro has built a public profile as a vocal critic of the government’s economic policies. His absence during the final vote even though 187 MPs were also absent was weaponised to portray him as inconsistent and secretly working for President Ruto.
This is not new. Nyoro also faced similar attacks for his perceived soft stance during Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment proceedings in 2024.
The pattern is clear: any Kikuyu leader who refuses to fully surrender to Gachagua’s “Wantam” movement or dares to maintain some independence is marked for destruction.
Even Hon Moses Kuria was forced to intervene on social media, defending Nyoro and warning against the growing culture of political cannibalism within the community. Kuria noted that Gachagua appears determined to eliminate every other credible political voice from Mt Kenya.
This is the direct result of Gachagua’s poisonous brand of politics. By consistently labelling fellow Kikuyus who disagree with him or work with the government as enemies of the mountain, he has normalised hatred and suspicion within the community.
What was once healthy political competition has been replaced by a toxic environment where loyalty to one man is elevated above principle, consistency or even basic decency.
A community that turns its sharpest minds into public enemies for missing a single vote while hundreds of others did the same has already lost its way. Rigathi Gachagua is not strengthening Mt Kenya he is teaching it to destroy itself from within.
