Gachagua Reveals Why He Dropped His Chrisitian Name

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday, June 7, explained why he abandoned his Christian name, Geoffrey, when he joined former President Daniel Arap Moi's government.  

Speaking at the Parliamentary National Prayer Breakfast Meeting at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, the second-in-command disclosed that as a district officer, he realized the need to create a bond with the people he represented, and hence preferred to go by the name Rigathi. Gachagua pointed out that this displayed that he was in tune with the locals. Gachagua portrays himself as a man of strong faith, and to demonstrate his devotion to Christianity, he married a wife equally devoted to God. 

 "I was responsible for overseeing the administration of a district, which was a unit of local government in the past administrations. Luckily, my wife is a Pastor and so I don't go through a lot of trouble. She is the one who leads me to prayers even at home," he said. 

In March 2023, he visited Mt Kenya to express his gratitude to the Lord for the rain. Gachagua served as a District Officer from 1992 to 1996, where he was responsible for maintaining law and order and providing essential services to the people of his district. Born in Nyeri in 1964, Gachagua attended the University of Nairobi and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and Political Science from the University of Nairobi.

The DP then secured employment as a teacher before signing up with the Kenya Police Service as a National Reservist in President Moi's administration. He was in the police force for two years before being appointed district officer. He worked in multiple provinces, including Molo and Nakuru.