Rigathi Gachagua is not a tribalist. At least, not more than you. Startled? Good. Let me hold your hand through this hypocrisy minefield before you collapse from outrage.
The Broad Based Government brigade, particularly my Luo brothers and sisters, has made “Gachagua is a tribalist” their national anthem. They sang it loudest during his impeachment last year, and to this day it is the only reflection they can bear to show him in the mirror.
However, honesty demands that we say things as they are. In Kenya, tribe is the currency of politics. If you are not Luo, you are Luhya, Kikuyu, Kisii, Maasai, Ogiek, or something else – yet always something tribal. Since independence, our politics has never been organised around ideology, but ethnicity. So when a Kenyan points a finger and cries ‘tribalist’, it is simply the story of the pot calling the kettle black.
For clarity, Kizungu ilikuja na meli. So, I consulted the dictionary. The Merriam-Webster calls a tribalist one who advances their group’s interests against others. Oxford, on the other hand, says it is simply loyalty to one’s ethnic group. Going by Oxford, tribalism sounds almost noble: identity, belonging and preservation of culture. Merriam-Webster adds the dark side: discrimination and exclusion.
So is Gachagua a tribalist? Absolutely. His infamous “shareholding” remarks proved he was knee-deep in it, like everyone else. And that is the part Broad Based supporters do not like hearing. They prefer a halo over President William Ruto and Raila Odinga and horns on Gachagua.
All Kenyans are tribalists, sadly, in the negative sense. The only reason Gachagua’s tribalism became headline news was because it served the political purpose of clearing the way for Raila’s accommodation. His ‘shareholding’ remarks were weaponised. Luo MPs, for instance, staged sham ‘public participation’ meetings, villagers were ferried in buses, signatures were bought at Ksh500 apiece, and hey presto – grounds for impeachment.
Mr Gachagua was removed. Raila entered government with his ‘experts’. Luo Nyanza began glowing with projects. My home county, Homa Bay, is almost as if Interior PS Dr Raymond Omollo is running his private estate. Luo satisfaction with the Broad Based Government is not about national unity but about ‘our sons’ being ‘inside’ and delivering for the tribe. During one of President Ruto’s latest tours of Kisumu, a Luo joyfully held a placard bearing these words: ‘Sisi Tuko ndani, wacha walie!’ Was that not tribalism in action? How then do Luos still dare call Mr Gachagua a tribalist, and with straight faces?
I have seen the coded message emanating from Luo groupings. In some of the professional groups that I am in, ‘Mbu nje, Sisi ndani’ has become very infamous. Once an anti-malaria advert line, now repurposed to mean that ‘our people (Luos) are in, others (especially the Kikuyus) are out’. It is chanted with pride, never mind that Kikuyus still sit comfortably in government. Without a second thought, this is tribalism wrapped in self-righteousness.
The inconvenient truth is that Mr Gachagua is not uniquely tribalist. He is simply guilty of saying out loud what others whisper behind closed doors. By Kenyan political standards, that makes him clean. Yes, impeached but still cleaner than many of his accusers.
Now, before you mistake this article for a campaign poster, let me clarify that I am not endorsing Gachagua for 2027. Far from it. My preferred candidate is Dr Fred Matiang’i, whose track record in fixing education, security, and governance makes him the only one I trust with the presidency. I want him at State House, not because of tribe, but because of his proven ability to solve problems and make Kenya better.
Tribalism is Kenya’s original sin. Raila is a tribalist, Ruto is a tribalist, Gachagua is a tribalist, and yes – you and I are tribalists too. The only thing worse than tribalism is pretending you are free from it while condemning others.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the log is the word of God.
