Wantam: Gachagua becomes the nerve centre of political messaging

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during the unveiling of his Democracy for the Citizens Party flanked by interim deputy party leader Cleophas Malala in Nairobi, on May 15, 2025. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's capacity to manufacture catchy slogans is marking him as the king of sloganeering in Kenya's political landscape.

A man with the gift of gab, the former second in command has become one of the most colourful politicians who has been using his oratory prowess to deliver viral slogans to hit against President William Ruto and his administration.

In his tour of Coast through Ukambani, Gachagua who accompanied Opposition leaders electrified the crowds in his mastery of prose when he described the residents of Ukambani and Coast as 'cousins'.

This has become the subject of online debate and evoked a political discourse with politicians, led by the President, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and other government supporters criticizing Gachagua over the term 'cousins', claiming he was dividing the country along ethnic lines.

In a meeting with African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) leaders at State House four days ago, President Ruto said he had a responsibility to unite Kenya to become one country, adding that he would also unite 'cousins'.

"The way the AICPA has united to become one, I also have a plan to unite Kenya to become one. It is my responsibility as the leader of this nation to unite all people, brothers, cousins, neighbours, enemies, all of them to unite them under one nation," he said amid laughter from the clergy.

Wetangula, who responded to Gachagua while in Ukambani, said:

"The term cousins has no meaning or bearing in our politics. We don't want to have a country where some communities feel isolated. When he says Kambas are his cousins, what about other communities? The remarks come from a person perverted by internal turmoil. He is bitter and he is spewing poison. Kenya can't go forward with such people. His 'one term' call is also divisive, I have been here for some time, his politics are like that of Kenneth Matiba who was bitter because he was defeated by the second President Daniel Moi."

Ruto's aide Farouk Kibet told off Gachagua and urged Kenyans to disregard him.

"He has now started calling other communities cousins. Gachagua is someone who should not be paid attention to. And we are asking the churches not to give room to such people who were removed from office for not helping President Ruto while there," he said.

According to Kibet, Gachagua was using the cousin term to woo other communities saying the move was akin to taking the country down a tribal path, saying it risked dividing Kenyans.

Opposition leaders led by Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua address locals in Sultan Hamud and Emali in Makueni county. [@rigathi, X]

While the pro-government leaders criticized Gachagua, the Internet was lit with users using Gachagua's 'cousin' remarks in their platforms while others claimed that all Kenyans who were against Ruto's administration were cousins.

Gachagua, who analysts have described as an astute showman and an indefatigable combatant, also came up with the 'wantam' slogan, which is coined from 'one term', a clarion call aimed at solidifying his mission to oust Ruto from power in 2027.

In Githurai two months ago, the former DP launched the 'wantam' rhetoric where he directed his audience to respond with wantam whenever he highlighted the alleged ills committed by President Ruto.

"Harambee!" Gachagua roared. The crowd, having learned the assignment already, hollered back: Wantam! "Wewe Ruto" the crowd could respond "wantam."

The slogan became a trending Tiktok challenge with hundreds of thousands of entries. In nightclubs, too, revellers, alongside stage performers, incorporated the slogan into their drunken revelry, randomly breaking into late-night chants and sharing videos online.

While his critics claim Gachagua's way of politics were full of vitriol and bad for the country, political analyst Gitile Naituli thinks otherwise.

He says Gachagua has been dismissed as a political lightweight, mocked in Parliament and by the political class but he has proved them wrong.

"His detractors confidently predicted that he would not survive politically for more than a few weeks if he ever dared oppose the system that birthed him," Prof Naituli said.

Naituli says, Gachagua has, however, become "the most disruptive political force in the country who, with surgical precision, was reshaping the national conversation and asserting himself as the new nerve centre of political messaging, not just in Mt Kenya but across Kenya.

"The irony is as thick as it is instructive: the man they tried to bury is now writing the epitaphs for their careers. His 'cousins' remarks to the coastal community didn't just de-escalate political heat; he reframed it into a conversation about unity, identity, and respect.

Describing the remarks as a political grenade disguised as a joke, Naituli said the remarks made their way into local vernacular stations and village barazas turning a casual phrase into a national talking point.

"This is not accidental. This is strategic communication. It reflects an emerging PR machine around Gachagua that understands three key things: Kenya's media ecosystem, the psychology of a fatigued electorate, and the opportunity presented by Ruto's waning popularity. While State House continues to churn out defensive talking points and tired rhetoric, Gachagua's camp is setting the agenda, reframing the terms of engagement, and positioning him as both insider and outsider, the most potent posture in Kenyan politics today," he said.

"Despite all the gaffes and gory headlines, Gachagua is an instinctive political survivor. He has the one quality most feared in Kenyan politics: shrewdness cloaked in simplicity. He plays the fool but is no fool. He absorbs punches, appears weakened, and then strikes when it matters most," Naituli added.