Junet Mohamed says Gachagua’s invitation prompted him to skip Raila Odinga’s anniversary memorial.
Junet Mohamed says he skipped the Bondo commemoration over Rigathi Gachagua’s invitation, while the former deputy president cites a scheduled US programme.
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed says he skipped the Raila memorial because organisers invited former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The Suna East MP addressed his absence at a political rally in Sigor. The commemoration in Bondo marked the first anniversary of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s death.
Junet said he checked the guest list and decided he could not share a platform with Gachagua. He accused the former deputy president of encouraging hatred and ethnic divisions.
Junet explains Raila memorial decision
Explaining his decision, Junet said Gachagua’s inclusion was enough to keep him away from the gathering. He also argued that a gathering associated with hatred and tribalism would conflict with Raila’s spirit.
Those accusations formed Junet’s explanation for staying away, rather than a claim that Gachagua attended the event.
Gachagua, meanwhile, gave a separate explanation for his own absence from the Bondo commemoration. He said he was in the United States for a programme scheduled before the memorial.
Junet also criticises Uhuru’s absence
Junet also directed criticism at former President Uhuru Kenyatta, another prominent guest invited to the commemoration.
He accused Uhuru of abandoning Raila during the 2022 General Election. He then linked that accusation to the former president’s failure to attend the anniversary memorial.
In Junet’s account, Uhuru’s absence repeated what he regarded as a failure to stand with Raila during the election. He portrayed both occasions as instances when the former president had turned away from Raila.
His remarks therefore combined an explanation for his own absence with criticism of other invited political leaders. However, Gachagua’s stated reason for missing the event centred on his previously arranged programme abroad.
