DP Rigathi Gachagua asks Kenyatta family to surrender land to Mau Mau families

Deputy President Riagathi Gachagua made a passionate appeal to former First lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta to surrender part of family land to Mau Mau families. [Standard]

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has made a passionate plea to the Kenyatta family to surrender half of their land to Mau Mau families.

The DP was speaking to a gathering in Iruri village, Mathira Constituency, Nyeri county on Friday, April 21.

"I was so happy yesterday when I heard someone say that they are thinking of how to help the Mau Mau. Even if they have never helped them since 1963 and have never bothered, it's still not late. The Mau Mau and their descendants are suffering," said Gachagua.

His comments come a day after former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta received Field Marshall Mary Muthoni wa Kirima at her Muthaiga home on Thursday April 20. She noted that Kenyans who fought for Kenya's freedom had been neglected.

Give us land

In what is seen as a rejoinder, Gachagua said the only way to recognize and support Mau Mau fighters and their families is to give them land.

"They should return at least half of the parcels they took from Mau Mau. The vast parcels of land have over the years remained idle yet the Mau Mau and their children are being buried in public cemeteries."

Honor freedom fighters

While receiving Field Marshall Muthoni, the former First Lady asked Kenyans not to forget who the real freedom fighters are.

She said there are imposter freedom fighters wrongly taking credit at the expense of real fighters like Muthoni.

In 2022, Muthoni asked Mama Ngina to shave her 70 year old dreadlocks, which she said signified the end of the struggles that she and Kenya had gone through under colonial rule.

After Mama Ngina cut Muthoni's dreadlocks, she also cleared a Sh 4.7million loan Muthoni had taken from a local bank.

Mau Mau debate

Thursday was the first time Mama Ngina allowed media in her Muthaiga home in Nairobi where she addressed the media.

A week prior to this, while in Nyandarua, DP Gachagua claimed the Mau Mau descendants are living in deplorable conditions as squatters.

He further claimed that money paid for compensation by white colonists was diverted to benefit "those who took over power at the expense of the locals."