Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has finally addressed the "Kenya has tigers" comment he made last week on his most recent international trip.
H.E. Gachagua was attending the Seventh Coffee Producer and Roaster Forum in Medellin, Colombia, when he made the statement that turned him and us as a nation into laughingstocks, as it is common knowledge that Tigers are only found in Asian countries such as India, Nepal, Russia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, to name a few.
Now, the lawmaker is retracting his statement, claiming it was made in error because English is not his first language.
On the sidelines of the Producer and Roaster Forum in Medellín, it was heart-warming having a conversation with a group of youthful vibrant Kenyans studying in Colombia.
Besides studies, the hardworking Kenyans are involved in sidehustles, including in the sale of coffee.… pic.twitter.com/KB22dUi19T— H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH (@rigathi) September 15, 2023Did you read this?
While defending his statement and responding to his detractors, the father of two insisted that he is aware that there are no tigers in Kenya.
"Some of us when speaking think in our mother tongue then translate," started off the Deputy President.
H.E Gachagua went on to say that in his mother tongue, Kikuyu, the tiger and leopard had the same name, which made him very confused when giving the speech.
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"In the Kikuyu community where I come from, the leopard and the tiger are the same thing. Some critics asked me which tigers are in Kenya and now I'm telling them, the leopard and the tiger are the same thing," the father of two said in a bid to clarify the mix-up and reassure people that he was learned.
After that, the politician went on to sell Kenya's wildlife, inviting his detractors to visit Kenya's National Park and experience for themselves the beautiful animals we have to offer.
Kenya and Colombia have a lot to learn from each other.
— H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH (@rigathi) September 13, 2023
With stronger ties between the two Nations opportunities for trade, education, cultural exchanges, among others are abound.
With our gracious host, the Vice President of Colombia H.E @FranciaMarquezM, on Tuesday, we had… pic.twitter.com/ZkbThrzSUu
Still making light of the situation, the deputy president went on to encourage people to visit Kenya and witness the "tigers" that the country has to offer.
"They're the same thing... the critics can go see them in our National Park," H.E Rigathi Gachagua said while wrapping up.
H.E Gachagua, speaking to prospective investors in Kenya on Thursday, September 15th, claimed the country boasts some rare kinds of wildlife, including tigers.
"As you come to invest in Kenya, we have many facilities for tourism. We have rare species of wildlife [namely] elephants, lions, buffalo and Tigers." he told the Colombian investors he was trying to bag.
