Narok Senator Ledama Olekina has launched a scathing attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of relying on ethnic numbers rather than national leadership credentials as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Olekina’s remarks came a day after he criticised the country’s prolonged campaign culture, warning that unchecked political mobilisation could deepen divisions and undermine national development.
“When I become President of Kenya, I will strictly limit the official campaign period to a maximum of three months,” Olekina posted on X on Monday, August 17.
He described prolonged campaigns as a “NATIONAL DISEASE”, arguing that they fuel “goonism, insults, violence, and division” while distracting leaders from development.
The senator subsequently turned his criticism towards what he described as Kenya’s obsession with tribal numbers, appearing to target Gachagua’s frequent references to the political strength of the Mount Kenya region.
“The biggest disease rotting Kenya is this stupid belief that tribal numbers equal merit,” Olekina said in a post on Tuesday.
He argued that ethnic numbers should not be used as a measure of leadership ability, warning that political influence built primarily around tribal mobilisation risks perpetuating division.
“A man propped up by ethnic headcount is not a leader he is just a noisy ethnic warlord with a title,” Olekina said.
He further dismissed Gachagua’s projections regarding the Mount Kenya vote, telling the former deputy president, “Riggy G, keep flashing those imaginary numbers you use to scare people.”
The remarks come amid an increasingly heated debate over the size and political influence of the Mount Kenya voting bloc ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
Gachagua has repeatedly highlighted the region’s numerical strength and its potential role in determining the outcome of the next presidential election.
Olekina, however, maintained that Kenya’s political future should be anchored on national leadership, development and competence rather than ethnic arithmetic.
“Numbers without brains, vision or national character mean nothing,” he said.
