{"id":136916,"date":"2026-04-07T18:02:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wanga-slams-gachagua-over-tribal-remarks-defends-odm-and-calls-for-national-unity\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T18:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:02:42","slug":"wanga-slams-gachagua-over-tribal-remarks-defends-odm-and-calls-for-national-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wanga-slams-gachagua-over-tribal-remarks-defends-odm-and-calls-for-national-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"Wanga Slams Gachagua Over \u2018Tribal Remarks\u2019, Defends ODM and Calls for National Unity"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 7 \u2013 Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has launched a scathing attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of making reckless and tribal remarks and undermining national unity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In statement issued Tuesday, Wanga, who doubles as the Chairperson of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), condemned comments attributed to Gachagua in which he allegedly likened members of the Luo community to \u2018barking dogs.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Kenyan community should be demeaned. The Luo people, like all Kenyans, deserve respect and dignity,\u201d Wanga said.<\/p>\n

She criticised the former Deputy President for what she described as repeated divisive rhetoric, accusing him of resorting to inflammatory statements following his fall from power.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Mr. Gachagua hears barking, he should look in the mirror; it is the sound of a man who has been rejected by his own backyard and stripped of power, now wandering the wilderness looking for a political lifebuoy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Wanga also took issue with Gachagua\u2019s claims that ODM had been sold to President William Ruto, dismissing the assertion as baseless and politically misguided.<\/p>\n

\u201cODM is a 20-year-old institution built on the blood, sweat, and tears of patriots. It cannot be sold, bought, or auctioned,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is currently a political non-entity, a \u201cvillage elder\u201d without a village. We advise him to focus on his many woes and his \u201cvillage party\u201d instead of meddling in the affairs of a national juggernaut like ODM,\u201dWanga added.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the governor accused Gachagua of hypocrisy for invoking the legacy of Raila Odinga, whom she described as a symbol of nationalism and pluralism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the height of hypocrisy and shamelessness for Mr. Gachagua to invoke the name of our late leader, Baba Raila Odinga. This is a man who lacked the basic human decency to attend Baba\u2019s burial or pay his last respects,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c Now, sensing his dwindling political fortunes, he wants to \u201crevive\u201d his career by clutching at the coattails of a man he spent his entire career insulting,\u201dWanga noted.<\/p>\n

\u00a0She further criticised Gachagua over what she termed as misogynistic remarks directed at Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, saying his conduct fell short of diplomatic standards expected of a former senior state officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a man who held the office of Deputy President to speak of another Head of State in such a manner proves exactly why he was unfit for office,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Despite the sharp criticism, Wanga said ODM would remain focused on its development agenda and national cohesion, warning against the dangers of ethnic division.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he continues to insult the Luo community and the leadership of ODM, we shall not \u2018bark\u2019 back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cOur focus remains on delivering development, strengthening devolution, and improving livelihoods for all Kenyans.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 7 \u2013 Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has launched a scathing attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of making reckless and tribal remarks and undermining national unity. In statement issued Tuesday, Wanga, who doubles as the Chairperson of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), condemned comments attributed to Gachagua in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136916\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}