Kenya: Old Video Used to Claim Kenya's Ex-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua Visited the Late Raila Odinga's Family

Old video used to claim Kenya’s ex-deputy president Rigathi Gachagua visited the late Raila Odinga’s family

IN SHORT: Former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has come under scrutiny for missing the memorial and burial services of former prime minister Raila Odinga. But users claim a video circulating online shows Gachagua visiting Odinga’s home. This is not true because the video is old.

Kenya’s former prime minister, Raila Odinga, died on 15 October 2025 after suffering cardiac arrest in India, where he was receiving medical treatment. He was buried on 19 October at his home in Bondo, a town in Siaya county in western Kenya.

Top government officials, dignitaries and politicians from both the pro-government and opposition sides attended the public viewing, funeral service and burial. However, former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua was conspicuously absent from all events, drawing mixed reactions on social media.

As the debate raged, a video emerged online, with users claiming that it showed him arriving in Bondo to offer condolences to the family.

The text superimposed on the video reads: “Former deputy president arrived at bondo.”

Gachagua served as Kenya’s deputy president from 2022 until his impeachment in October 2024, following a fallout with president William Ruto. The president and other pro-government politicians accused him of dividing Kenyans along ethnic lines.

Ruto and Odinga had long been political rivals, but in March 2025, they reconciled and signed a memorandum of understanding, paving the way for closer collaboration. Gachagua has remained a staunch critic of both.

The video has been reposted widely.

But is it credible? We checked.

Old video

We closely examined the video and heard people speaking in Kikuyu as they welcomed him, suggesting the location could be in the Mount Kenya region. This region refers to areas of central Kenya traditionally inhabited by the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru communities. Odinga is Luo, so the language spoken in his backyard would likely be Luo, not Kikuyu.

Gachagua has often used his official Facebook and X pages to update his followers on his engagements. However, he has not posted any information about the visit, aside from expressing his condolences in a lengthy Facebook post. Furthermore, Africa Check found no reports of the visit in any credible news sources.

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