Nairobi — Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has resigned as the Vice Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG) amid outrage over remarks he made concerning the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Citing the immense public reaction his comments had generated, Kahiga said he was taking full responsibility for both the real and perceived impact of his words by stepping down from his leadership role within CoG.
“In noting the huge public interest that this issue has generated, I am taking responsibility for the real and perceived meaning of my remarks, and as a result, I have decided, with immediate effect, to step down as the Vice Chair of the Council of Governors,” he told reporters in Nyeri on Wednesday.
Kahiga said his comments, captured in a vernacular video circulating online, were “taken out of context” and were never intended to celebrate the passing of the veteran opposition leader.
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“I want to sincerely apologize to our mourning nation, to the family of the Rt. Hon. Former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga — Mama Ida Odinga, her children Rosemary, Junior, and Winnie, Hon. Senator Oburu Odinga, Hon. MP Ruth Odinga and the larger extended family, the ODM fraternity, the Luo Nation, and Kenyans at large — for any harm that my remarks may have elicited,” he stated.
Political uncertainty
The Nyeri Governor explained that his comments were made during a burial in his home village on Tuesday, emphasizing that his intention was to reflect on the political uncertainty following Odinga’s death and not to make light of the tragedy.
“My remarks were in no way celebratory. What I meant is that under the current broad-based government, we have seen skewed development, and politically, the loss of the Rt. Hon. Former Prime Minister sends everyone back to the drawing board,” he said.
He added that his words were meant in the spirit of the saying ‘God takes the best’, noting that the clip circulating online failed to capture the full context of his speech.
Kahiga further distanced his sentiments from any ethnic or political affiliations, saying they were purely his personal views and not representative of the Nyeri people, any political formation, or the Council of Governors.
“Let me make it clear that the remarks I made are my personal views and therefore should in no way be associated with a community’s position or any political affiliation nor the Council of Governors,” he said.
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‘Despicable’
Kahiga’s resignation came shortly after the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), led by its National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, issued a strongly worded statement demanding his immediate removal.
Wanga accused Kahiga of making “nefarious, unbelievable, and utterly despicable” remarks about a national icon whose sacrifices paved the way for Kenya’s democratic freedoms.
“The late Raila Odinga put his life on the line to fight for the freedoms that Kenyans enjoy today. For someone of Governor Kahiga’s calibre — a beneficiary of Raila’s sweat, scars, and tears — to make such derogatory remarks is both disgraceful and shameful,” Wanga stated.
She said CoG could not be led by someone she described as reckless and irresponsible, insisting that Kahiga’s comments were an affront to national unity.
“We therefore demand that he resign from this position with immediate effect. The CoG cannot have a loose mouth holding such a position,” Wanga declared.
The controversy erupted at a time when the country is observing a period of national mourning following the death of the former Prime Minister on October 15 while receiving treatment in India.
Odinga is remembered as one of the foremost champions of Kenya’s second liberation — a leader who endured detention, imprisonment, and torture in his lifelong pursuit of multiparty democracy, devolution, and civil liberties.
Reacting to Kahiga’s remarks on Tuesday, CoG called an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday expected to discuss Kahiga’s conduct. With his announcement stepping down as Vice Chairperson, CoG is expected to pick his replacement.
