NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 7 – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has clarified his controversial remarks about the Somali community, saying his criticisms were aimed at a single businessman, not the community as a whole.
Speaking on Wednesday during the burial of MP Wanjiku Muhia’s father in Kipipiri, Gachagua said his focus has always been on protecting local farmers whose livelihoods are threatened by unfair trade practices.
“I have no problem with the Somali community. They are honest, hardworking, and honorable people,” Gachagua said.
“My concern is with one individual who imported goods, like rice and sugar, that hurt farmers in Mwea and Western Kenya. It is wrong for politicians to use this personal issue to target an entire community.”
Gachagua’s clarification comes after lawyers representing the owners of Business Bay Square (BBS Mall) in Eastleigh filed a complaint with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
The complaint alleges that his earlier remarks, made during a church service in Kiratina, Kiambu County on January 4, 2025 , linked the Somali community and identifiable businesses to a fraud scandal in Minnesota, United States.
MMA Advocates, acting for the mall owners, argued that the statements unfairly stigmatized law-abiding Somali citizens and could inflame ethnic tensions.
Gachagua insisted that the accusations against the Somali community are unfounded.
“If one or two people have a problem, that should not drag the entire community into it. My interest is in the farmers who have been harmed, not in pointing fingers at a whole ethnic group,” he said.
The DCP Party leader also stressed the importance of following the law in investigating economic crimes.
“Every country follows its national interest. If money was stolen anywhere, investigations must follow the law. But that does not mean you condemn a whole community. You follow the truth, not tribes,” he said.
Opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka defended Gachagua’s position during the same event, urging Kenyans not to turn fraud allegations into ethnic blame.
“We want criminals exposed, but Somalis and every other Kenyan who is not a criminal should not be attacked or feared. We are working for real unity in this country, not unity built on blame and suspicion,” Kalonzo said.
The NCIC has not yet publicly responded to the complaint filed against Gachagua.
