Over the weekend, Kenyan opposition figures Martha Karua and Rigathi Gachagua appeared at the inaugural Ngemi Cia Ruraya festival in Seattle’s Saghalie Park, delivering a united front against state repression. However, Karua was quick to clarify that their attendance was coincidental, not coordinated.
Karua, the leader of the People’s Liberation Party and a prominent civil liberties advocate, was the event’s chief guest, invited to engage with members of the Kenyan diaspora in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Gachagua, now leading the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), attended alongside his wife, Pastor Dorcas Gachagua.
Responding to speculation over their joint presence, Karua stated on social media platform X, “I am here as Ngemi Festival’s chief guest, while @rigathi, my brother, was invited separately and is accompanied by @dorcasrigathi_. We are attending the same event, each traveling separately.”
Despite the separate invitations, both leaders delivered powerful and aligned messages condemning the current administration’s handling of dissent. Karua called for a “radical political renewal,” decrying a government that “abducts, kills, and steals from its own people,” and championed leadership rooted in justice and dignity.
Gachagua reinforced her remarks with a scathing critique of the regime’s crackdown on youth-led protests. “They have killed our Gen Zs, and the rest face trumped-up charges in court,” he said. “This regime is using fear to suppress dissent.”
Their rare appearance together despite differing political affiliations signaled a growing opposition consensus on the need for systemic reform in Kenya. As frustrations mount over state brutality and governance failures, Karua and Gachagua’s synchronized messages may mark the early stages of a broader political realignment ahead of 2027.
