Did you mean leopards? Gachagua put on spot after saying Kenya has tigers

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua [Kisang Joseph, Standard]

Kenyans on social media are as shocked as the tigers which just learned that they exist in Kenya, let alone in Africa.

Netizens took to social media platforms to hit out at Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who told a delegation in Bogota, Colombia that Kenya is home to various wild animals, including tigers.

“As we come to invest in Kenya, we have many facilities for tourism. We have rare species of wildlife in Kenya. The elephant, the rhino, the buffalo, and the tiger,” the DP said.

“We have many facilities for tourism. We have rare species of wildlife-the elephant, rhino, buffalo, tiger…”

DP Rigathi Gachagua says Kenya has tigers pic.twitter.com/EaRAPjJtfN — The Standard Digital (@StandardKenya) September 15, 2023

His remarks have since elicited mixed reactions among social media users, with some questioning the degree of general knowledge.

The fact is, tigers have never been seen in Africa since more than two million years ago.

However, a section of Kenyans defended him saying he just invented the existence of an extinct animal, though in theory.

“Riggy G, is it the leopard or do you have a pet tiger in Karen?” asked X user Joshua Kilungu.

“To be fair, there are a few Kenyan dogs out there named Tiger,” read a post on X by user, Madana CY.

Another group thinks Gachagua meant to say leopards or one of the big five animals, but experienced a slip of the tongue which landed him misleading information.

All the big five animals, lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinos exist in Kenya with no doubt, but ‘cheaters’ seem to have joined the jungle royalty.

 “I think it was a slip of the Tongue.  He must have meant Cheetah,” Senator Janet Ong’era said.

To others, it is a saddening revelation through which they learned that this revered species exclusively exists in a country where only Gachagua exists, and not his fellow Kenyans.

“Heh! I need to go to the National parks that he has been to or maybe the morning walk he took in Colombia (sic) him,” posted Niclaus Brian.

This information was brought to light by the DP, also known as Riggy G, who said that there is a special species of tigers in Kenya while delivering a speech in Colombia.