{
  "id": 8686750,
  "title": "Gachagua mocks Kindiki after traditional hat falls off during coronation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/gachagua-mocks-kindiki-after-traditional-hat-falls-off-during",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T12:42:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "People Daily Kenya",
    "slug": "people-daily-kenya",
    "url": "https://peopledaily.digital/inside-politics/gachagua-mocks-kindiki-after-traditional-hat-falls-off-during-coronation"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rigathi Gachagua, leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), has ridiculed Deputy President Kithure Kindiki following a mishap at a recent ceremony endorsing Kindiki as the spokesperson for the Mt Kenya region. The incident occurred at Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu County on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Gachagua attributed the mishap to the \"gods of the mountain\" mocking Kindiki's attempt to divide the region.\n\nDuring the meeting, Gachagua humorously remarked, \"But I think the gods of the mountain are also very powerful. I don’t think they can allow such a thing.\" He continued, \"So as the fake elders were giving him the crown and put it on his head, the gods of the mountain came and took it away! And it fell down! And they had to take it and put it back, which means the ceremony was aborted! The gods have refused!\" The hat slipped off Kindiki's head and landed on the ground before individuals around him retrieved it and placed it back onto his head. Gachagua linked his criticism of the elders presiding over the ceremony to his claims that efforts to divide the Mt Kenya region had failed. He stated, \"They are not saying they want unity; they are saying, ‘We have failed.’ Then they say, ‘Now that we have failed to divide the mountain and it should be one, please make me the spokesman of the very mountain I wanted to divide.'\"\n\nFurthermore, Gachagua alleged that another group, including Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, attempted to create divisions within the Mt Kenya region, specifically proposing East and West divisions. He explained that these factions aimed to remove the Meru and Embu from the rest of the region. However, the people of the area reportedly rejected these efforts. Gachagua's interpretation of the falling hat as a divine rejection was an individual perspective, while reports confirm that the incident resulted in a temporary disruption of the ceremony, with the headgear being replaced without any supernatural explanation.",
  "summary": "Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has mocked Deputy President Kithure Kindiki after his traditional hat fell off during a ceremony in which he was endorsed as the Mt Kenya region spokesperson. The incident happened at Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu County on Saturday, September 19, 2026, during a gathering of Mt Kenya elders […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "People Daily Kenya",
        "title": "Kindiki meets Mt Kenya West elders as push to unite region gathers pace",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/kindiki-meets-mt-kenya-west-elders-as-push-to-unite-region-gathers",
        "published": "2026-09-19T09:27:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Nation Africa",
        "title": "CS Ruku symbolically hands back axe to Mt Kenya elders, abandons clamour for splitting mountain",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/cs-ruku-symbolically-hands-back-axe-to-mt-kenya-elders-abandons",
        "published": "2026-09-19T10:08:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}