- Bondo resident Richard Otieno urged DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua to use his upcoming visit to Opoda Farm as a chance to heal divisions
- Otieno praised Gachagua’s decision to pay respects to the late Raila Odinga, calling it a bold gesture in the spirit of historical reconciliation
- He reminded Gachagua of past tensions, including his 2023 Maandamano remarks, framing the visit as an opportunity for forgiveness
- Otieno highlighted Gachagua’s political influence and advised humility, urging him to include his wife Pastor Dorcas
Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
A resident of Bondo has penned an impassioned open letter to Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua.
Source: Facebook
He has urged the former deputy president to use his upcoming visit to Opoda Farm to bridge divides that have long defined relations between the Kikuyu and Luo communities.
Richard Otieno, a Bondo resident married to a Kikuyu woman from Nyeri, wrote the 11-page letter highlighting both praise and critique.
Otieno lauded Gachagua’s decision to pay respects to late opposition leader Raila Odinga, describing it as a bold and symbolic gesture.
He described how momentous the decision is, recounting how JM Karuiki was the only member of the Kikuyu community to attend the burial of Tom Mboya in 1969.
“My first congratulations are due because of your bold decision that you will soon be going to Bondo to pay respects to my fallen relative Raila Odinga and to condole the family of Jaramogi. Your visit will be very significant and in keeping with a tradition set by other great Kikuyu leaders,” Otieno wrote.
How did Otieno address past Raila-Gachagua tensions?
While commending the gesture, Otieno did not shy away from recalling past tensions between Gachagua and the fallen ODM party leader.
He reminded Gachagua of his 2023 vow to “personally” send Raila back to Bondo during the Maandamano protests, a statement made in the context of political clashes that saw 77 young Luo protesters killed.
Now, with Raila permanently laid to rest in Bondo, Otieno described Gachagua’s visit as an opportunity for reconciliation.
He assured Gachagua that Bondo residents understand the healing power of forgiveness, that they will embrace and welcome Gachagua.
“To quote one of your recent statements, it was nothing personal. Just politics. The same principle obtains when you pleaded with Ruto to let you deal with Raila personally and permanently consign him to Bondo in the wake of Maandamano of 2023 where some 77 Luo Gen Z were killed. I am sure that this is not what you meant when you said you will send him to Bondo,” he says.
What advice did Otieno give Gachagua for the visit?
Otieno further pointed to Gachagua’s political influence in shaping President William Ruto’s rise, noting that his shareholding politics laid the foundation for Ruto to secure ODM’s backing amid impeachment threats.
He urged Gachagua to approach the visit with humility, advising him against traditional practices such as “running with cows and shouting Jowi.”
However, he counselled the former second in command to tag along with his wife, Pastor Dorcas, congratulating her for her ordination.
Otieno recounted Gachagua calling Raila mchawi and murogi, with Raila responding in kind by calling him Gachietha, a demeaning term.
“My second congratulations are to Pastor Dorcas on her ordination as a Bishop. Apart from her intercessory prayers having propelled you to the second highest office in the land, I may be forgiven for speculating that her prayers may have also precipitated your decision to forgive and forget your altercations with the late PM,” he added.
Source: Facebook
Otieno did not shy from political reflections as Otieno reminded Gachagua that Ruto’s presidency was partly a product of his influence, praising his honesty in acknowledging this role.
He also referenced a Kikuyu proverb cited by Gachagua ahead of the Mbere by-elections.” “You do not bury an elephant with its tusks. You remove the tusks and then you bury the useless carcass.”
Otieno concluded with hope that the visit could mark a turning point, urging a gesture of unity at a moment when Kenya grapples with entrenched ethnic fault lines.
“Your Excellency, this hate between the Kikuyus and the Luos can burn this country. But the spoken word from a leader can also heal it,” he wrote.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
