Rigathi Gachagua telling Kenyans not to attend the June 25 anniversary is not wisdom, it is political comedy from a man who suddenly discovered police brutality after leaving government.
This anniversary was not called for politicians to come and control the streets, it was about mourning young Kenyans who died, celebrating their courage, remembering their sacrifice and demanding that their blood does not become another forgotten paragraph in Kenya’s dirty political history.
When police were cracking down on Azimio protesters, Gachagua was not this soft grandfather begging young people to stay indoors and play with children.
He was defending police, attacking human rights groups for not speaking about injured officers, saying police were also human beings and echoing the government line that security was not negotiable.
He even backed the withdrawal of security from opposition leaders until street protests stopped, then today he wants to lecture Kenyans about state violence as if he was born yesterday in the opposition nursery.
This is the same man Kenyans recently reminded of past remarks where he told police to continue doing their work and not be bothered by criticism from protesters and opposition leaders.
Now that the same machine he once defended has turned against him, he wants to sound like the patron saint of civil liberties.
June 25 is about candles, flowers, names, prayers, tears and memory, not politicians sneaking into grief with ballot mathematics and fear campaigns.
So why is Gachagua inserting himself into a day that belongs to the dead, their families and the young people who stood up when many leaders were still calculating which side would benefit them?
If the anniversary is about remembering dead heroes, why is a politician rushing to tell people to stay away as if remembrance now needs clearance from Wamunyoro?
Kenyans should ask a very simple question........
Who is Rigathi Gachagua working for when he tells people not to show up for a memorial that is meant to honour dead heroes?
When you get overwhelmed and forget who Rigathi is, remember what once said.
For many Kenyans, June 25 is not a political rally. It is not a campaign platform. It is not a succession contest. It is not a battleground for politicians seeking relevance. It is a day of remembrance.
A day to honour young people who walked into the streets demanding accountability and paid the ultimate price. A day for candles, flowers, prayers, tears, names, and reflection. A day for families who buried their children. A day for a country to ask itself how so many lives were lost in a democracy.
That is why former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's appeal to Kenyans not to attend the anniversary events has raised eyebrows among many observers.