Former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has sharply criticized his political rival, Rigathi Gachagua, over a promised but unfulfilled visit to Bondo, the home of the late opposition doyen Raila Odinga. Wambugu alleges the pledge was a political gamble that failed to pay off.

The controversy stems from a public promise Gachagua made in November to lead a delegation from the Mt. Kenya region to Bondo to pay respects to the Odinga family. This high-profile visit was scheduled to take place after the recent by-elections, a detail Wambugu has seized upon following mixed results for Gachagua's camp.

In a pointed Facebook post on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Wambugu directly linked the stalled visit to the election outcomes. “Ati when Gachagua was promising to go to Bondo after byelections, he had assumed that he would win Mbeere North & Malava,” Wambugu wrote. He concluded with a sharp taunt: “Now the chap doesn't know what to do. If counting chicks before they hatch was a person!”

A Promise on Hold

Gachagua had previously framed the intended visit as a gesture of national unity and reconciliation. In a November 16 interview, he confirmed that consultations were held with the Odinga family, and that Raila Odinga's daughter, Winnie, had given her approval for the timing. The objective, Gachagua stated, was to mourn a national figure and build bridges with the Luo community, dismissing any notion of a political vendetta.

However, with weeks now passed since the mini-polls, the silence from Gachagua’s camp has been deafening, providing ammunition for his critics. Wambugu questioned the sincerity of the initial promise, asking his followers if the visit would ever happen. “Mnaona iki-happen kabla mwaka iishe; ama ilikuwa stori ya jaba, kama kawaida?” he posed, colloquially asking if it was just empty talk as usual.

Political Fallout and Public Perception

This public spat is the latest in a series of confrontations between the two politicians, who have been locked in a battle for political influence in the Mt. Kenya region since Gachagua's falling out with the government. Wambugu's comments tap into a broader narrative questioning Gachagua's political credibility and strategic foresight.

For the average Kenyan, this exchange highlights the often-unfulfilled promises of political leaders and how gestures of unity can be entangled with electoral calculations. The failure to follow through on a significant promise like the Bondo visit, regardless of the reason, risks eroding public trust and reinforcing cynicism about the motivations of the political class. The focus now shifts to Gachagua, as the nation watches to see whether the promised journey of reconciliation was a genuine commitment or, as Wambugu suggests, mere political posturing.