Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has hit back at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over his recent comments downplaying ODM leader Raila Odinga’s relevance ahead of the 2027 elections.
Gachagua, while speaking to members of the Kenyan diaspora in Seattle, Washington, suggested that Raila’s political clout had significantly diminished since the 2022 general elections. He claimed the former Prime Minister no longer holds sway in regions like Kisii, Ukambani, and parts of Western Kenya, which largely backed him in the last polls.
In what marked his first official engagement with Kenyans abroad, Gachagua dismissed Raila as a non-factor in President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid, saying the ODM leader offers “nothing substantial” to the political table.
But Wandayi, speaking during an interdenominational prayer service at Kabobo in Nyatike Sub-county, did not take the remarks lightly. He criticized Gachagua for making divisive statements on foreign soil, accusing him of using the U.S. platform to undermine national unity.
“I saw the former deputy president in America gathering his tribesmen and speaking ill of Kenya. That’s not patriotism, that’s sabotage,” said Wandayi.
Echoing Wandayi’s sentiments, National Assembly Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro also took issue with Gachagua’s choice of venue for such political commentary. “Why couldn’t he say those things while here at home? Choosing to do it abroad reeks of indiscipline and a deliberate attempt to sow discord,” Osoro remarked.
The two leaders urged Gachagua to focus on constructive discourse that advances the country’s development rather than tearing down fellow leaders on international platforms.
