NYERI, Kenya – October 21, 2025 – A political firestorm has erupted following controversial comments made by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, who suggested that the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was a form of divine protection for the Mt. Kenya region.
The remarks, delivered at a funeral in Nyeri on Tuesday, have been widely condemned as insensitive, tribalistic, and a threat to national unity during a period of national mourning.
According to reports from the event, Governor Kahiga stated that Odinga’s passing on October 15 had “protected” the Mt. Kenya region from marginalization by ensuring that national resources would not be disproportionately directed to the late leader’s political stronghold in Nyanza.
The comments triggered an immediate and fierce backlash from across the political spectrum.
Siaya Governor James Orengo led the charge, lambasting the remarks on social media platform X. “The utterances by the Governor of Nyeri about Raila Odinga are shameful, callous and distasteful and is not protected speech,” Orengo stated. “This is hateful speech that brings dishonor to the public offices occupied by the Governor. Impunity at its worst.”
The condemnation was not limited to Odinga’s allies. Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, a key figure in the Mt. Kenya region, also distanced herself from Kahiga’s sentiments, joining calls for an apology. The Council of Governors issued a statement condemning the remarks as unbecoming of a state official and detrimental to national cohesion.
The controversy highlights the fragile ethnic tensions that have surfaced in the wake of Odinga’s death. The former Prime Minister, who passed away from cardiac arrest in India, was buried last week in his Siaya County home in a ceremony that drew mourners from across the nation and the globe.
As the nation continues to grieve the loss of a veteran politician, the demand for Governor Kahiga to retract his statement and apologize grows louder, placing a spotlight on the delicate balance of ethnic politics in Kenya.
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