Demonstrations in Mavoko Constituency. Photo by Virginia Siebela 
By Virginia Siebela
Residents of Mavoko Constituency in Machakos County staged protests condemning former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of disrespecting their Member of Parliament, Patrick Makau, during the opposition leaders’ visit to Machakos on Friday.
Led by Robert Maina, who claims to be a neighbor of Gachagua from Nyeri, the protestors called on Gachagua to show respect to leaders from the Ukambani region and refrain from using divisive language.
According to Robert, just as Gachagua urges his supporters to "listen to the ground," he too should listen to the sentiments on the ground.
Another resident, Omollo, called on the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to investigate Gachagua, accusing him of using inflammatory language that could divide the nation.
When reached for comment, MP Patrick Makau said Gachagua must respect him and emphasized that insulting him in the presence of his party leader Kalonzo Musyoka was a direct show of disrespect to Kalonzo.
Makau added that given a choice between President Ruto and Gachagua, he would choose Ruto “one hundred percent.”
He stated that the removal of Gachagua from office was beneficial to the country.
Makau described Gachagua as a hot-tempered and arrogant individual who is unfit to lead the nation.
