NAIROBI — Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has sharply criticized former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of spreading ethnic divisions during his ongoing tour of the United States.
Duale, speaking Wednesday in Kisumu during the launch of the Social Health Authority (SHA) and TaifaCare program, said former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua’s actions in the diaspora are undermining national unity efforts back home.
“He took his tribalism to the US you can see who he is meeting during his tour,” Duale stated. “We have Somalis, Kisiis, Luos, and other tribes in America. They have declined to be associated with tribalism.”
CS Aden Duale claimed former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, party leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), is promoting ethnic-based politics at a time when President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga are working toward political reconciliation.
His comments follow growing public criticism of Gachagua’s recent statements on the Gen Z-led protests. On July 8, just before flying to the US for a two-month trip, Gachagua urged youthful protesters to abandon the streets and register as voters for the 2027 general election as the only way to oust the current government under the leadership of president William Ruto.
The remarks were met with skepticism. Activist Mumbi Seraki, in a widely circulated video, accused Gachagua of attempting to exploit a movement he did not start. “That trip wasn’t about the diaspora. It was about being read the riot act,” Seraki said, suggesting that foreign players may be using the visit to distance Gachagua from the growing youth movement.
While Gachagua has been opening DCP offices and meeting supporters abroad, he has not directly addressed the criticism or explained the purpose of his US tour in detail.
Health CS Aden Duale, meanwhile, announced plans to travel to the United States next week. Unlike Rigathi Gachagua, he said his visit would include meetings with Kenyans from across the country’s ethnic communities. “I will be meeting all Kenyans in the US next week,” Duale said.
Rigathi Gachagua’s silence on the backlash and the optics of his selective diaspora engagements have fueled concerns that his trip is less about national outreach and more about political rebranding.
The former deputy president’s visit comes as his influence at home appears to be under pressure. His call for voter registration among protesting youth while interpreted by some as practical was dismissed by others as tone-deaf and politically calculated. Investigations into the broader Gen Z protests continue, with more public officials under scrutiny over their role in addressing or ignoring youth demands.
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