Kenya is once again witnessing how easily grief can be turned into a political weapon, and at the center of it stands Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga.
While Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s remarks about the late Raila Odinga were reckless and inexcusable, Wanga’s reaction has exposed something equally toxic a growing tendency among leaders to use national sorrow for political mileage and tribal posturing.
What started as outrage over one man’s careless words has now turned into a tribal shouting match, and Wanga’s conduct is making it worse.
Instead of calming tensions and guiding the country toward reflection and healing, Wanga chose confrontation. She came out guns blazing, labeling Kahiga’s comments as primitive and demanding his resignation from the Council of Governors.
But she didn’t stop there.
She roped in former DP Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of sharing Kahiga’s mindset and even banning him from visiting Raila’s final resting place in Bondo.
Nyeri County Governor Mutahi Kahiga. Photo credit/Nairobi News
Her declaration that the “friend of your enemy is your enemy” wasn’t just a statement of anger it was a deliberate attempt to draw ethnic lines at a moment that called for compassion.
For someone who prides herself on being a defender of unity, Wanga’s behavior was anything but unifying. Her message implied that anyone from the Mt. Kenya region who sympathized with Kahiga was an outsider in mourning Raila.
That’s not leadership, it’s tribal isolation disguised as moral righteousness. It’s one thing to condemn Kahiga’s words, it’s another to punish an entire community for them. Wanga’s ban on Gachagua wasn’t about justice or respect for Raila it was about political posturing and asserting dominance within ODM.
Leaders like Kanini Kega, who once risked political careers to support Raila, have called her out. Kega reminded her that the Mt. Kenya region also had sons and daughters who stood with Raila even when it cost them dearly.
Wanga’s attempt to paint the whole region with one brush insults those who have genuinely fought for unity and democracy alongside Raila.
Even respected figures like Nelson Havi have challenged Wanga’s behavior, pointing out that mourning cannot be forced and sanity cannot be legislated. Kenyans across social media have echoed that sentiment, saying Wanga is no better than Kahiga both guilty of fueling ethnic tensions for their own gain.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.n. Photo Courtesy/File
Her move to politicize grief and gatekeep mourning rights is a betrayal of the ideals Raila stood for.
The late Raila Odinga spent his life fighting for inclusion and justice, not exclusion and tribal suspicion. Wanga’s recent actions trample on that legacy. By weaponizing his death and turning it into an “us versus them” affair, she has shown more interest in flexing political muscle than in preserving national unity.
Kenya doesn’t need leaders who use loss to divide us, it needs leaders who can rise above emotion and heal the cracks in our social fabric.
