When he was a teacher, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga was required to script his lessons to the last detail. He knew where to start and where to finish.
But ever since he joined politics, scripting has not been his strong point, and his tongue keeps uttering things that make others want to teach him a lesson.
His remarks “celebrating” the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have landed him in hot water, leading to his suspension by the Council of Governors (CoG), where he was the vice-chairman.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga addresses a press conference at his home in Nyeri town on October 22, 2025.
He is also facing calls for his impeachment as governor, his political friends for now keeping a safe distance from him as he fries in his own fat.
Mr Kahiga was clandestinely recorded saying Mr Odinga’s death, which occurred on October 15, while he was receiving treatment in India, was “God’s plan” and that “God came through for us”.
He said, “President William Ruto’s government had hatched a plan to direct all goodies from Mt Kenya to Mr Odinga’s region ahead of the 2027 General Election, but who is God? Does he take ugali or sleep in Kayole? He came through for us in His own way. God saw it fit to bring this death so that we can go back to the drawing board.”
And when the fury started flying around, it fell in torrents on Mr Kahiga, forcing him to convene a press conference on Wednesday, where he apologised for what he termed as political evangelical remarks that were misquoted.
He was later in the day summoned to record a statement with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, with some observers saying the Directorate of Criminal Investigations might soon pounce on him.
Call it politics gone wrong for the teacher with 32 years of experience, who rose to become an executive in the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) in the Mt Kenya region.
But those not too kind to him suggest that Mr Kahiga is just a victim of recklessness, since only last year he obtained a doctorate degree in Leadership and Education Management from the Kenya Methodist University. He is 65 years old, with a declared interest in the Nyeri senatorial seat in the 2027 General Election.
For the past year, some of Mr Kahiga’s public utterances have stirred trouble.
It is not the first time that Mr Kahiga’s tongue has landed him in trouble.
On February 11, he took reconciliatory goats to the Maasai community in Kajiado to apologise for a public slur. He had said the previous day that “we are through with President Ruto just like how the Maa community abandoned wearing shorts”.
Mr Kahiga apologised, saying he was only trying to hype his wing of politics that supports former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who was impeached in October last year.
In his current storm, Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has conveniently disowned him, saying: “Mr Kahiga is a UDA member whose party leader is President Ruto, and all his utterances are supposed to be seen as representative of the government.”
Mr Kahiga had also warned Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata that “even if you feed the whole of Murang’a’s children with porridge, but you fail to listen to the ground and align yourself with Gachagua, you will be voted out”.
Mr Kahiga hurriedly retracted the words, saying he only meant to remind Mr Kang’ata that it was crucial he listened to the ground.
In the run-up to Mr Gachagua’s impeachment, Mr Kahiga had warned President Ruto that “we will not allow you to persecute our son. Let it be clear that kama ni mbaya, mbaya (‘let the worst happen’)”.
This saw Nyeri politician Thuo Mathenge publicly warn Mr Kahiga that “your tongue is racing too much and soon you might realise that the settings are not like the Knut you were used to”.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga.
But when Mr Kahiga is in control of his tongue, he entertains. He recently admitted on TV that he was getting passes from women through social media platforms.
“Trouble is, the heart is willing but the body is unable. What can I do? I turned 65 years old just the other day. There are functions I cannot cope with,” he told Kogi’s Corner TV.
Mr Kahiga, however, said he has a lot of pity for the women who rejected him in his younger days.
Read: Governor Mutahi Kahiga resigns from CoG post amid backlash over remarks on Raila Odinga's death
“I can imagine their regret in rejecting me, only to later see me become a governor,” he chided.
Married with three children, Mr Kahiga added that he is shopping for a good online university to pursue a course in law.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga.
Also, he is a fan of traditional songs.
“Outside serious stuff, I love music, especially freedom songs and country music. I also love funny content creators online. I occasionally go live and sing a song or two,” he said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
