By James Okoth
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s political future now hangs in the balance after he reportedly retreated from public view ahead of an emergency Council of Governors (CoG) meeting convened to deliberate on his misconduct. His sudden “early retirement” from the political limelight — coming just hours after a torrent of criticism from across the country — marks a defining moment not only for him but also for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, whose political orbit Kahiga has long revolved in.
Kahiga’s remarks on the passing of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga — seen by many as a callous invocation of religion to justify death — have detonated more than a moral outrage. They have exposed the raw nerves, the unspoken fears, and the crumbling loyalties within the Mount Kenya political bloc.
Once considered among Gachagua’s most trusted regional surrogates, Kahiga has now become a political liability — the kind of ally no one wants to be seen defending. His silence, and now his retreat, suggest a man aware that his words may have permanently scorched his path forward.
At the same time, Gachagua finds himself at a precarious crossroads. His political brand — built on the rhetoric of “Mt. Kenya unity” and regional assertiveness — is being tested by association. For months, he has tried to reposition himself as the moral compass of the region, standing against internal fragmentation and perceived betrayal from President Ruto’s inner circle. Yet Kahiga’s scandal now threatens to taint that image.
ODM’s reaction has been swift and unforgiving. Party chairperson Gladys Wanga has already called for Kahiga’s expulsion from the Council of Governors’ leadership, while Kisumu Speaker reminded him that the very freedoms he misused were fruits of Raila Odinga’s constitutional struggle. But beyond the outrage lies a deeper intrigue: the silence of ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.
Sifuna — usually the party’s loudest and most disciplined voice during political storms — was conspicuously absent at the Kisumu presser. No apology, no statement, no virtual appearance. Insiders whisper of a quiet recalibration within ODM’s secretariat, where the political calculus over how to deal with Kahiga’s camp may extend beyond public condemnation. Some suggest that Sifuna’s absence signals a deeper strategic maneuver, possibly one that factors in the shifting alliances ahead of 2027 — where even former foes might find utility in dialogue.
What don’t we know? Perhaps that Kahiga’s words, however ill-advised, are a symptom of a larger battle — a battle for control over the Mt. Kenya narrative after Raila’s death. Gachagua’s camp sees an opening: a region disillusioned, a vacuum of moral authority, and a chance to frame the next national conversation around “betrayal and neglect.” But with Kahiga now disgraced, that plan may already be collapsing.
In the coming weeks, one test will define their political fate: whether Gachagua dares to defend him — or quietly distances himself to protect his own ambitions.
Either way, the storm unleashed by Kahiga’s tongue has done more than offend a mourning nation. It has peeled back the fragile veneer of unity in Mt. Kenya politics, revealing the deep fractures between loyalty and survival — between faith and politics — and between those who still stand for Raila Odinga’s ideals and those who now tremble under the weight of his legacy.
