Kenya’s athletes are lighting up Tokyo with record-breaking triumphs, but back home, the deafening silence of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has sparked outrage and revived accusations of tribal posturing.
Beatrice Chebet’s stunning 10,000m gold, Faith Kipyegon’s historic fourth 1,500m crown, and Faith Cherotich’s steeplechase victory have catapulted Kenya to global headlines.
But Gachagua – once a heartbeat away from State House – has offered no word. His social media remains consumed with 2027 presidential ambitions and Mt Kenya rallying calls, ignoring the Tokyo heroes, many from the Rift Valley’s Kalenjin stronghold.
Analysts argue this is no accident. “This is not just oversight, it is calculated,” a political insider said. “He cannot see Kenya beyond the prism of tribe.”
Gachagua’s silence fits a pattern critics say has long defined his politics: combative ethnic rhetoric, narrow regional appeals, and a failure to embrace moments of national unity. Public anger is spilling online. “Mtu very stupid,” one viral X post fumed, accusing him of putting ambition before patriotism.
In a country still reeling from Gen Z protests and economic strain, his silence has deepened perceptions of a leadership vacuum. As Prof Herman Manyora notes, “Gachagua has perfected the art of weaponising tribe, but that strategy shrinks him when the country demands national leadership.”
For now, Kenya’s athletes run on, unbothered by such smallness. The nation cheers. The flag rises. And one question remains: will Rigathi ever look beyond the highlands, or will ambition forever eclipse the nation he once swore to serve?
