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Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Nairobi - Head of Creative Economy and Special Projects in the president's executive office, Dennis Itumbi, has dismissed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua about state house handlers being out to embarrass him.
In his tell-it-all interview on Citizen TV on Friday, September 20, the Deputy President lamented about a viral meme during King Charles III's visit to Kenya.
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The DP said he was in Europe on official duty when the meme hit the internet, claiming it was designed by bloggers under President William Ruto.
Gachagua said he was forced to remind the unnamed individuals that their actions not only embarrassed him but Ruto too.
"When the King was here in the State House, I think it was in..the president had sent me to Berlin or Brussels, I am not sure. When the King was in the state house, I was missing. A blogger who works for the president created a photoshop just for mischief and to demean me. Created a photoshop that the King is here walking with the president, then there was a window there, and Rigathi Gachagua had been locked in that window. He actually circulated it on his blog until Kenyans complained and he brought it down. Just to demean the DP, and these are people who work for the president," Gachagua stated.
However, in a quick retort, Itumbi dismissed the DP's complaints, making assertions that he was petty.
Itumbi, a communication strategist, concluded that the image was just a piece of art meant to elicit laughter.
He claimed Gachagua forced Ruto to stop a crucial meeting to address the meme that he claims to have soiled his political image.
"On the King’s visit meme, it's absurd how far DP @rigathi has gone to draw attention to a satirical piece of art, developed clearly by those against UDA at the time for social media banter. At one point, he made the President cancel a crucial Universal Health Coverage meeting for a two-hour session to discussthe Meme's impact on his political standing," Itumbi wrote.
Earlier, Gachagua revealed that he was removed from a WhatsApp group containing Ruto's official schedule.
Gachagua explained that his absence from recent events was due to a lack of access to the president’s itinerary, as his office was not receiving updates from the group.
He clarified that he would only attend events he was formally invited to and urged those in the State House to stop insinuating that he was deliberately skipping functions.
Although Gachagua had not yet raised the issue with Ruto, he stated that it was initially considered a petty matter but decided to address it publicly.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
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