{"id":161115,"date":"2026-04-27T16:15:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T16:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic"},"modified":"2026-04-27T16:58:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T16:58:40","slug":"gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic","title":{"rendered":"Gachagua Defends ‘Mt Kenya’ Remarks as Geographic, Not Ethic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s legal team argues that his references to ‘Mt Kenya’ were geographical, not ethnic, during his impeachment hearing. The defense claims that accusations of promoting negative ethnicity are misinterpretations of his statements, emphasizing the mountain’s significance in Kenya’s geography and constitution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Africa-Press – Kenya. <\/strong> <\/span>The legal team representing former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has strongly pushed back against accusations that he promoted negative ethnicity, telling the court that references to \u201cMt Kenya\u201d weregeographical, not tribal.<\/p>\n

Appearing before the High Court at Milimani Law Courts, defence lawyer Tom Macharia argued that his client\u2019s statements had been deliberately misinterpreted to link them to ethnic incitement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first petitioner is accused of stirring hatred, potentially inciting people because he used the word Mt Kenya,\u201d Macharia told the bench. \u201cFrom the little geography I learnt, Mt Kenya is a rock in the middle of Kenya \u2013 it is not a tribe. It is where we got the name for our republic.\u201d<\/p>\n

He insisted that whenever Gachagua mentioned Mt Kenya, he was referring strictly to the mountain and its geographical significance, not to any ethnic grouping.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did not say tribe. He said Mt Kenya\u2014and Mt Kenya is a rock,\u201d Macharia emphasised.<\/p>\n

The lawyer further argued that even counties surrounding the mountain are home to diverse communities drawn from across the country, undermining claims that the term inherently denotes a single ethnic bloc.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you were to count the counties that surround it, they constitute people from every corner of Kenya. They do not have one tribe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Macharia also mounted a constitutional defence, asserting that discussions around ethnicity are not only permissible but recognised within Kenya\u2019s legal framework.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if he was talking about ethnicity, the Constitution itself addresses it extensively,\u201d he submitted. \u201cArticles 21, 27, 63, 90, 91, 100, 130, 232, 241, 246, 250, among others, all speak to ethnicity as a principle worth defending, worth being held to account for, and worth advocating for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, I found the word \u2018ethnicity\u2019 appears more times than the word \u2018economy\u2019 in the Constitution,\u201d he added. \u201cSo how can you be accused over an issue the Constitution itself spends so much time addressing?\u201d<\/p>\n

A three-judge bench comprising Justices Erick Ogolla, Anthony Mrima, and Freda Mugambi is hearing the matter.<\/p>\n

Gachagua is challenging his impeachment from office in October 2024, which made him the first Deputy President in Kenya\u2019s history to be removed through that process.<\/p>\n

He has since claimed that his ouster was politically motivated, alleging that lawmakers in both the National Assembly and the Senate were influenced through bribery to support his removal.<\/p>\n

However, the impeachment proceedings were anchored on accusations that he fostered \u201cethnic balkanisation\u201d and promoted a controversial \u201cshareholder\u201d model of governance. Critics argued that his stance-that regions which supported the ruling coalition should receive priority in development and government appointments-risked deepening ethnic divisions.<\/p>\n

The issue of ethnicity in Kenyan politics has been a longstanding concern, often influencing electoral outcomes and governance. The country’s diverse communities have historically faced challenges related to ethnic tensions, particularly during election periods. Gachagua’s case highlights the complexities surrounding ethnic identity and political discourse in Kenya, where the Constitution recognizes ethnicity as a significant aspect of national identity and governance. This legal battle reflects broader societal debates about the role of ethnicity in politics and the potential for divisive rhetoric to impact national unity.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Kenya<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What You Need to Know Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s legal team argues that his references to ‘Mt Kenya’ were geographical, not ethnic, during his impeachment hearing. The defense claims that accusations of promoting negative ethnicity are misinterpretations of his statements, emphasizing the mountain’s significance in Kenya’s geography and constitution. Africa-Press – Kenya. The legal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":161114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[16152,662,544,605,2059],"class_list":["post-161115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-ethnicity","tag-impeachment","tag-kenya","tag-mt-kenya","tag-rigathi-gachagua"],"yoast_head":"\nGachagua Defends 'Mt Kenya' Remarks as Geographic, Not Ethic - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gachagua's defense argues that 'Mt Kenya' references are geographic, not ethnic, amid impeachment challenges in Kenya.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gachagua Defends 'Mt Kenya' Remarks as Geographic, Not Ethic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gachagua's defense argues that 'Mt Kenya' references are geographic, not ethnic, amid impeachment challenges in Kenya.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-27T16:15:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-27T16:58:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1777308702.706145.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"788\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"471\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Gachagua Defends ‘Mt Kenya’ Remarks as Geographic, Not Ethic\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-27T16:15:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-27T16:58:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic\"},\"wordCount\":585,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1777308702.706145.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"ethnicity\",\"Impeachment\",\"Kenya\",\"Mt Kenya\",\"Rigathi Gachagua\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/gachagua-defends-mt-kenya-remarks-as-geographic-not-ethic\",\"name\":\"Gachagua Defends 'Mt Kenya' Remarks as Geographic, Not Ethic - 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