Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is grieving the loss of his only surviving maternal aunt, Gladys Gathoni Kahua, whom he has described as a “second mother” with a profound influence on his life.

In an emotional statement shared on Saturday, June 28, 2025, Gachagua called it his “lowest day”, as he spoke about the painful circumstances of her passing.

Gachagua said he received a distressing call at 3:00 a.m., telling him that his aunt had become very ill. He arranged for her to be rushed to Jamii Hospital in Karatina, Nyeri County, planning to visit her later in the day.

He explained that the doctors first said she was stable. Sadly, as he set off for Karatina at 2:00 p.m., he was delayed by a traffic jam near Ruiru, and he arrived at 4:10 p.m., just five minutes after his aunt died at 4:05 p.m.

“I was five minutes late,” Gachagua wrote. “I have lost a mentor and counsellor and I have no one to turn to in this grief.”

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Gachagua’s tribute showed how much his aunt meant to him as a mother figure after his own mother, Martha Kirigo Gachagua, died in 2019. Known with love as “Tata wa Matunda” (the fruits’ aunt) because of her yellow passion fruit farm back in her rural home, auntie Kahua was always a source of warmth and wisdom according to him.

When they visited, the former Deputy President fondly remembered childhood mornings filled with porridge, boiled maize, and laughter as they shared Mau Mau folktales, in which she and his late mother played active roles.

As a Mau Mau heroine, he stated that her legacy went beyond the family. Her stories of bravery against colonial rule inspired his sense of identity and leadership. “She reminded me who I am and where I come from,” he said.

Now the leader of the DCP Party, he has promised to honour Kahua with a “befitting send-off”, celebrating her as a cornerstone of his life and work.

He extended condolences to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her village community.

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