By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, May 25, 2026 - Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua on Monday led a fierce backlash against UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar over controversial remarks perceived to target the Mt Kenya region, escalating fresh political tensions within President William Ruto’s camp.
Speaking at the DCP headquarters in Nairobi shortly after returning from a trip to the United Kingdom, the former Deputy President rejected Omar’s apology and accused him of executing a State-backed political scheme designed to isolate Mt Kenya voters ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“We want to reject in total the attempt by Hassan Omar to apologize to the people of Mt Kenya region for inciting Kenyans against them,” Gachagua declared.
“Hassan Omar is just a mouth-piece of William Ruto. Those utterances were discussed at State House Mombasa and everybody was given a script.”
Gachagua claimed Senate Speaker Amason Kingi and other Kenya Kwanza leaders had also been deployed to push divisive rhetoric against the region.
“Hassan Omar was given a script, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi was given a script,” he alleged.
The former Deputy President further linked the remarks to Kenya’s painful history of ethnic violence.
“In 2007, you mobilized 41 against the Mt Kenya people. Thereafter, there was massacre in cold blood. We know you have picked from where you left,” he said.
“You are trying to mobilize 41 versus 1. It will not happen.”
Gachagua accused President Ruto of publicly preaching unity while allegedly tolerating ethnic profiling within his administration.
“William Ruto, you cannot be telling Kenyans that you hate tribalism and divisiveness yet you are the master,” he charged.
“All these things are being spoken in your presence at your behest.”
The DCP leader also revisited remarks allegedly made recently by Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama in Mt Elgon.
“When Dan Wanyama spoke in Mt Elgon and said that they will isolate the people from Mt Kenya region, you were seated there and did not admonish because that was your script,” he claimed.
“Hassan Omar is your Secretary General for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). What he is saying is your script.”
Gachagua further accused the President of turning against Mt Kenya leaders after political differences emerged within Kenya Kwanza.
“We know you have a beef with the mountain people because they have refused to support you. But you must remember that they supported you once and that time you never called them tribal,” he said.
“I told you in Ol Kalou in Nyandarua County recently to stop calling the mountain people tribal. They are not.”
The controversy has now exposed growing divisions inside the ruling coalition, with senior UDA-linked leaders openly distancing themselves from Omar’s remarks and piling pressure on him to resign.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga launched one of the sharpest attacks, branding Omar “a liability” to the ruling party and the country.
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“People like you Hassan Omar, our appointed UDA Secretary General, are a great liability to the party, to Kenyans and to all people of goodwill,” Kahiga wrote on Facebook.
“When you try to demonise an entire community just because you think Kenyans have forgotten your role in the ICC matters, it is a tragedy.”
Kahiga challenged Omar to emulate his own past resignation from the Council of Governors leadership over controversial remarks touching on ODM leader Raila Odinga.
“I took responsibility for both the intended and perceived meanings and resigned as Vice Chairman of the Council of Governors,” he said.
“I now challenge you to do the same. Resign from your appointed position of UDA Secretary General.”
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, a key ally of President Ruto and supporter of the “Tutam” re-election movement, also condemned Omar’s remarks and warned against ethnic politics.
“I strongly stand against the Hassan Omar type of ethnic baiting that seeks to isolate the people of Mt Kenya,” Waiguru said.
“The Tutam movement, to which we remain fully committed, is a national movement that does not legitimize the spewing of ethnic hatred, however couched.”
Waiguru warned that divisive rhetoric risked reopening painful wounds associated with past election violence.
“As a nation, we have been there before and we said never again,” she stated.
“That approach may excite crowds, but it is short-sighted, undemocratic, and can ultimately only be severely injurious to the nation. He owes our nation an apology.”
Nyeri Woman Representative Rahab Mukami also dismissed Omar’s apology and demanded his resignation.
“Apology not accepted, you must resign,” she posted on Facebook.
The mounting criticism followed a clarification statement issued by Hassan Omar on Saturday in which the UDA Secretary General claimed his remarks had been misunderstood and taken out of context.
In the statement dated May 24, 2026, Omar said his comments were never intended “to demean, offend, or target any community.”
“Throughout my public life, I have remained firmly committed to upholding the dignity, rights, and unity of all Kenyans,” Omar stated.
He explained that the remarks were made within the context of his long-standing advocacy on historical land injustices affecting the Coastal region and were “never intended to promote division, hostility, or animosity among communities.”
Omar, however, acknowledged that some people from the Mt Kenya region may have been offended by the remarks and extended an apology.
“To all those who may have been offended, I sincerely regret the misunderstanding and extend my apology,” he stated.
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