Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has publicly condemned Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga for comments he made about the death of opposition leader Raila Odinga, calling them “culturally repugnant, morally indefensible and politically retrogressive.”
Speaking at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Tuesday during the launch of the 5th National Agribusiness Summit, Mr Kagwe said he was deeply disturbed by the governor’s remarks, which he described as disrespectful both to the Odinga family and to Kenyans mourning the loss.
“As the only Cabinet Secretary from Nyeri and a former Nyeri Senator, I want to state clearly that we are mourning,” said Mr Kagwe. “We, together with the rest of Kenyans, are Nyeri people — and I am personally mourning.”
He warned that speaking ill of the dead violates cultural norms and could bring misfortune. “If you speak ill of people who have passed on, it is culturally repugnant. There are certain rites one must undertake to avoid curses that may befall you,” he said. “Those remarks are made on one’s own behalf and have nothing to do with the rest of the community.”
Mr Kagwe emphasised that leadership requires empathy, restraint and moral discipline, especially during national moments of grief. “As leaders, we must always be careful about what we say,” he said. “Such statements are retrogressive. It is not in anybody’s interest to make remarks that bring about division.”
He added that the governor’s words should not be seen as reflecting the people of Nyeri or the national government. “Morally, it is indefensible to make such remarks. We sympathise in such situations,” he said. “We are mourning with the rest of Kenyans, and we must never mistake such insensitive remarks as representing anyone else apart from those who made them.”
His comments follow widespread outrage across the country after Governor Kahiga appeared to suggest that Raila Odinga’s death was “an answered prayer.” Many Kenyans, including leaders from across the political divide, have denounced the governor’s remarks as offensive and out of touch with the nation’s grief.
Several governors, among them Kenneth Lusaka of Bungoma and James Orengo of Siaya, have since visited Odinga’s home in Bondo to pay their respects, urging unity and decorum in public discourse.
Mr Kagwe’s intervention adds to the growing calls for civility and compassion among public figures. “At a time like this, words matter,” he said. “Let us show respect to the dead and comfort to the living.”
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