Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, when he hosted grassroots leaders in Kang'undo on June 16, 2025. PHOT/X/Alfred Mutua.In a strongly worded statement, Mutua criticised Gachagua for allegedly promoting divisive rhetoric that reduces communities to caricatures and devalues Kenya’s cultural diversity.
“I don’t want to tell you that we don’t know who our cousins are. We know who our cousins are. And you are not our cousins,” Mutua declared.
He spoke in Kang'undo on Monday, June 16, 2025, when he hosted grassroots leaders.
Mutua took issue with what he claimed was Gachagua’s tendency to label communities outside Mt. Kenya—particularly the Kamba people—as “cousins,” suggesting the term was being used to belittle their cultural and political identity.
“Even if they are people from Mt. Kenya, they are not traditional people. People from Mt. Kenya are not cousins—they are in-laws,” Mutua emphasised.
“We have known that for a long time. Don’t make fun of us.”
The CS went on to assert that the Kamba community is rich in heritage, discipline, and leadership ability.
We are intelligent people. We have culture. We have a tradition,” he said.
“You cannot call your in-laws cousins. That is your tradition, not ours.”
Mutua also slammed Gachagua’s leadership record, accusing him of failing in his duties when he served as deputy president.
“You were sent to work. You failed. You are fired. You drink here, you tweet like cousins,” Mutua said, mocking Gachagua’s recent political conduct and public statements.
Gachagua recently sparked controversy during a tour of Ukambani when he referred to the Kamba community as his "cousins," implying a close relationship between them and the Mount Kenya region residents
Speaking in
a speech that quickly went viral across social media, Gachagua repeatedly
emphasised the phrase
“Sisi ni ma‑cousin. Ukweli ama uongo? Hi cousins! Hi cousins! Hi cousins! Cousins wapendane wasipendane? Cousins watafute serikali pamoja wasitafute?”
In English,
that translates roughly to: “We are cousins—truth or lie? Hey cousins! Hey
cousins! Hey cousins! Should cousins love or hate one another? Should cousins
band together to form a government or not?”
Critics
questioned his sincerity—pointing out that during his tenure as Deputy
President he had largely sidelined the Kamba community—while supporters
embraced the message as a call for ethnic unity.
