Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has continued to stoke tension with his remarks on Mt Kenya musicians, drawing sharp criticism from the Digital Content Creators Association of Kenya (DCCAK), which condemned his Sunday comments as regressive and intolerant.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke and signed by the association's chairperson, Bob Ndolo, DCCAK expressed deep regret over Gachagua's utterances, accusing the former Deputy President of undermining constitutional freedoms.
The association faulted Gachagua for allegedly threatening private entertainment businesses and attempting to leverage his influence to suppress artists’ rights to earn a living.
''We are deeply disturbed by remarks made today by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who, from the altar of a church, openly called for the boycott of Kenyan artists and the silencing of their voices unless they sing in his praise. These statements are not only regressive – they are a direct affront to the constitutional freedoms of expression, creativity, and enterprise," DCCAK said.
''It is profoundly unfortunate that at a time when Kenya is working to dismantle barriers that have long denied our artists their rightful income, a former Deputy President would threaten private entertainment businesses with commercial consequences unless they deny artists the right to earn a living. Such pronouncements reek of dictatorship, intolerance, and a disturbing sense of entitlement to control thought and culture in Mt Kenya and beyond.''
Further, the association maintained that it was wrong for the former DP to see their work of art as a tool to be wielded by political interests, urging Gachagua that his sentiments amounted to authoritarian fantasies.
''Art is not a tool to be wielded by political interests. It is the mirror through which society sees itself – the laughter, the sorrow, the truth, and the dreams of a people. To reduce it to a mouthpiece of praise for any one man is to betray the very soul of the nation."
Gachagua urged Mount Kenya residents to unfollow and stop listening to musicians who met the DP last week, among them Samidoh Muchoki, Karangu Muraya, Ben Githae, Jose Gatutura, DJ Fatxo, Sammy Irungu, Martin Wajanet, and Ngaruiya Junior.
Speaking in Murang'a on Sunday, May 25, Gachagua claimed that elders from the region have urged the musicians, whom they claim betrayed the community, to either apologise to the people of the region or face repercussions.
According to Gachagua, the artists were paid Ksh50,000 to visit the deputy president at his Karen residence on Friday, March 23.
"They went and were given Ksh50,000. The people they go to entertain are tired of the administration, yet they go and sit down with people who are still frustrating us, and so we should unfollow artists who don't apologise to the community," Gachagua said.
Meanwhile, Kindiki also strongly criticised his predecessor, Gachagua, regarding allegations that he bribed Mt Kenya musicians to attend an event at his residence in Karen, Nairobi.
While addressing small-scale traders' SACCOs during an economic empowerment programme in Kabete, Kiambu County, Kindiki expressed his frustration and emphasised that the government would not condone the political intolerance that he accuses the former DP of promoting.
Kindiki, known for his calm demeanour, stunned many with an uncharacteristically fiery response hours after Gachagua accused him of bribing musicians to attend the Karen event. Kindiki's rare public outburst marked a sharp shift from his usual tone, signalling deep frustration over the accusations.
