Members of Parliament from Nyanza have pushed back against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s recent remarks on the region’s political direction, accusing him of attempting to rewrite his past relationship with the people while seeking their support ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Issuing the statement during the press briefing in parliament by Nyanza MPs and read by Caucus Chairman Dr. James Nyikal, who also chairs the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health, challenged Gachagua to explain what has changed in his political outlook and why the region should now trust him.
The legislators said Gachagua was free to pursue his political ambitions and seek support across the country but warned him against assuming that Nyanza could be directed into a particular political path.
“While Mr Gachagua is entitled to pursue his political ambitions and seek support in every part of Kenya, he must understand that Nyanza is neither politically naive nor afflicted by collective amnesia,” the MPs said.
They accused the former Deputy President of previously building his political identity around rhetoric that portrayed Nyanza and its leadership as hostile to government.
“For years, Mr Gachagua built a political identity around rhetoric that frequently portrayed Nyanza region and its leadership as being perpetually confrontational and hostile to government,” the statement said.
The MPs further questioned what they described as Gachagua’s sudden change of approach towards the region, particularly his efforts to portray himself as having a special relationship with Nyanza.
“He repeatedly invoked misguided stereotypes of our people as ‘stone throwers’ and treated our political convictions as something to be feared and/or contained. Today, he suddenly claims a different story of special relations with our people. We therefore ask: Which Gachagua should Nyanza believe? And why?” they said.
The legislators maintained that political transformation was possible but insisted that any change in political position must be accompanied by an explanation and accountability.
“Political conversion is possible. But conversion requires explanation, confession and accountability,” they said, challenging Gachagua to explain what had changed, when the change occurred and why people he previously disparaged should now trust him.
The MPs also rejected what they termed an attempt by Gachagua to prescribe how Nyanza should vote in 2027, particularly his assertion that President William Ruto would receive only 30 per cent of the region’s vote.
“We particularly reject his attempt to prescribe how Nyanza should vote next year by wagering that President William Ruto will receive only 30 per cent of the region’s vote,” the statement said.
According to the legislators, political decisions in Nyanza would be determined by the region’s voters rather than instructions from outside political actors.
“The people of Nyanza, guided by their leadership, interests and democratic convictions, will determine their political choices when the time comes,” they said.
The MPs further cautioned Gachagua against confusing personal relationships with a few leaders from the region with ownership of Nyanza’s politics.
“Knowing our politicians does not confer ownership of the region’s politics. Nyanza has its own leaders, institutions, history and political agency,” they said.
The legislators also strongly rejected any attempt to appropriate the political legacy of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, arguing that his relationship with the people of Nyanza and his contribution to Kenya’s reform movement could not simply be inherited by another politician.
“Equally unacceptable is any attempt by Mr Gachagua to appropriate the leadership or legacy of Raila Odinga, the man he has spent his whole adult life disparaging,” they said.
They argued that Raila’s relationship with Nyanza and the wider country was built through years of political struggle and sacrifice.
“That legacy cannot be inherited through political connivance, nor can Mr Gachagua appoint himself its custodian,” the MPs said.
The legislators also rejected attempts to reduce Nyanza’s political choices to ethnic arithmetic, saying residents were more concerned about development and economic opportunities than political manoeuvring.
“Nyanza is not a political trophy. It is not a bloc of votes waiting to be captured by ethnic brokers or deployed as ammunition in Mr Gachagua’s political contest with his former boss President Ruto,” they said.
The MPs said the region’s priorities included jobs for young people, investment and industrialisation, roads, energy and infrastructure, modern agriculture, revitalisation of the fishing economy, better healthcare and education, and genuine economic empowerment.
They challenged Gachagua to account for his record while serving as Deputy President before seeking the region’s political support.
“Mr Gachagua must therefore answer a simple question: What did he do for Nyanza when he occupied the second-highest office in the Republic and did not need its votes?” the statement asked.
The MPs concluded by insisting that political support from Nyanza would have to be earned through accountability and a clear development agenda rather than political rhetoric.
“Before rhetoric must come record. Before seeking Nyanza’s future support must come an honest accounting of the past,” they said.
They added, “Nyanza will listen to everyone. But Nyanza will decide for itself.”
