City Lawyer Ahmednasir Meets His Match, Becomes a Lone Prominent Figure in Rigathi Gachagua’s Corner
In what many Kenyans have described as an attempt to reclaim political relevance after his impeachment, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has tried to position himself as the champion of Northern Kenya, levelling serious corruption allegations against elected leaders from the region.
Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi was the first prominent figure from the North to publicly back Gachagua’s claims, consistently defending the former Deputy President’s accusations of corruption and misgovernance in Northeastern counties.
However, Ahmednasir’s peers and colleagues have now pushed back strongly, rejecting both Gachagua’s narrative and Ahmednasir’s support for it.
The counter-offensive began with Professor Makau Mutua, who dismissed Gachagua’s sudden concern for the region:
“No one—and I mean not a single intelligent soul—should take Rigathi Gachagua seriously when he purports to now be the champion of the Somali hoi polloi. He should spare the country his fake crocodile tears… Wamunyoro is only using the historical plight of Somalis to beat up on their leaders because they support President William Ruto… Intelligent people shouldn’t allow themselves to be manipulated by this cynical, hypocritical, hateful dude… Besides, Gachagua shouldn’t steal the agency of Somalis. They know the issues that bedevil them, and have ample brains and voices to articulate questions of mal-governance and corruption. Let’s treat the man from Mathira with the contempt that he rightly deserves. Akwende huko!”
No one — and I mean not a single intelligent soul — should take @rigathi seriously when he purports to now be the champion of the Somali hoi poloi. He should spare the country his fake crocodile tears. Since when did he discover that Somalis are full citizens of Kenya with…
— Prof Makau Mutua (@makaumutua) February 7, 2026
Ahmednasir responded by partially agreeing with Mutua’s characterisation of Gachagua while insisting the corruption allegations were valid:
“EVERYTHING you say about H.E Rigathi Gachagua is true 100%. And we are in total agreement. EVERYTHING Rigathi Gachagua said about Northern Kenya and the thieving Lords of poverty who lord over the people is also true 100%. Prof, don’t take us for fools. NFD people know everything.”
Senior Counsel Abdikadir Mohamed joined the fray, endorsing Mutua and condemning Ahmednasir’s stance:
“Prof Makau Mutua is absolutely 100% correct! Indeed the people of NFD suffer many ills. BUT, to hoist that THUG (Rigathi Gachagua) on them as their SAVIOUR is to add INSULT to INJURY. As your pal President William Ruto often says… WAJINGA WAMEISHA KENYA!”
Ahmednasir remained defiant:
“I love the message. I don’t care about the messenger. In pretending to take shots at Rigathi, many individuals—especially from the North—are covering up for the thieving elites from the North for reasons that are obvious to some of us.”
Abdikadir Mohamed hit back, emphasising that the people of the region do care about who delivers the message:
“The intended SUBJECTS of your MESSAGE—the good people of NFD—DO CARE about the Messenger… To claim your THUG is their SAVIOUR, with some going as far as claiming a Quranic basis for his affront, is SACRILEGE!!!”
Former Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow also weighed in, supporting Mutua and questioning Gachagua’s credibility:
“You’re right [referring to Makau Mutua]. That deranged man who was charged in court with Sh12 billion has no moral authority to talk about integrity. It’s all cheap politics.”
Attempting to shift the debate, Ahmednasir turned attention to the educational qualifications of Northern Kenya’s elected leaders:
“Now that H.E Rigathi Gachagua has lifted the opaque veil enveloping Northern Kenya and shredded it into smithereens, let us interrogate another important secret… What role does the poor level of education of Northern Kenya’s political leaders—from Governors, Senators, MPs, Women Representatives, to MCAs—play in the governance, corruption, and underdevelopment crisis facing the region? Will it surprise the rest of Kenyans that less than 1% of the elected leaders from Northern Kenya have a genuine university degree?… How can political leaders from Northern Kenya prioritise education for our children and the welfare of the people when they themselves scraped through certain levels of societal education?”
Senior Counsel Abdikadir swiftly rejected the diversion:
“Rage baiting is utterly misguided… try something else…”
As more elites from the region and beyond joined the conversation against him, Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi found himself increasingly isolated in his defence of Rigathi Gachagua’s allegations.
