Gachagua Accuses Akorino Clergy of Betrayal after State House Visit, Alleges KSh100M Payout

Members of the Akorino church convened at State House Nairobi for a thanksgiving service.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has criticised the Akorino church following a thanksgiving service held at State House, Nairobi, on Sunday, April 12, 2026.

Reacting to the event, Gachagua claimed that the religious leaders attended the function in their individual capacities and did not represent the Mt Kenya community.

He further alleged that the clerics had been influenced by financial incentives to attend the State House gathering, terming the move as political optics.

“For the Akorino going to State House, please speak for your stomachs, not us. You join the long list of traitors who have turned against their own to fill their stomachs. KSh100 million has been prepared for you,” he said.

Gachagua also took issue with recent events involving Kikuyu elders in Githunguri, where a confrontation with police occurred during cultural rites linked to a disputed shrine.

According to him, the use of force against the elders was an affront to the Mt Kenya community.

“William Ruto, you have now crossed the red line. Destroying our cultural shrine and sending police to beat and humiliate our elders is declaring war on our community,” Gachagua stated.

He argued that the State House prayer meeting would not repair what he described as strained relations between the government and the community.

“You have now summoned members of the Akorino sect to State House to pray for you and sanitise you for profiling and persecuting our community,” he added.

At the same time, Gachagua declared a political onslaught against Mt Kenya leaders allied to President Ruto, accusing them of betraying the community.

He urged his supporters not to re-elect Members of Parliament who backed his impeachment in 2024, maintaining that working with the President amounted to siding with an adversary of the region.