- Governor Mutahi Kahiga sparked outrage for suggesting Raila Odinga’s death was divine intervention for the Mt. Kenya people
- Kahiga made an apology for his remarks at a press conference on Wednesday, October 22
- The moment was, however, overshadowed by another moment between the county chief and a young journalist, who he said didn’t understand the task
Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga has been trending since yesterday, Tuesday, October 21, over his remarks on Raila Odinga’s death.
Source: Facebook
The comments, which have since sparked national outrage, appeared to be celebrating the former prime minister’s death.
What did Mutahi Kahiga say about Raila’s death?
Speaking during a funeral in Kieni, Kahiga suggested that Raila’s death was a divine intervention for the Mt. Kenya people.
The governor claimed that Raila’s presence had disrupted development plans in the Mt. Kenya region and that his death allowed for a smoothing out of matters.
“So now people have been told to go back to the drawing board because the plan that was there was probably to throw us out. But who is God? Does he take ugali at somebody’s house or sleep in Kayole? He came through in his own way. He saw up there people in heaven are disagreeing a lot and came for Baba so that he can go and smooth things up there,” Kahiga said.
Barely 24 hours after the remarks were made, the governor is still trending.
Mutahi Kahiga during apology presser
At his press conference, where he resigned as vice chair of the Council of Governors, the governor spoke of a young journalist, also apologising for his insensitive remarks about Raila’s death.
As the members of the press were setting up for the press conference, a young journalist was holding microphones and had moved too close to the governor.
A team member urged her to step back so she wouldn’t be on the video set.
In an unnecessary response, Kahiga referred to the lady as a trainee and laughed at her.
“She is still a trainee. Train her well. Help her, she doesn’t understand this matter. She is learning,” he said.
The young journalist appeared shy after the statement from the governor.
Watch the video:
TUKO.co.ke has not categorised Kahiga’s remarks about the Gen Z journalist as an insult, but instead highlighted the light moment between the county boss and the press during the important moment.
Did Mutahi Kahiga defend his Raila remarks?
As previously reported, the governor claimed that he was alluding to a biblical viewpoint that many Kenyans misinterpreted rather than commemorating Raila’s death.
Source: Facebook
There was a lot of outrage when he insisted that his message had been mistranslated from his native Kikuyu language.
According to Kahiga, his allusion to God’s intervention came from biblical teachings that are frequently applied to explain uncontrollable events.
He emphasised that his opinions were his own and should not be interpreted as the opinions of the Council of Governors, the Mount Kenya community, or any political organisation.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
