Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has spoken openly about his mixed feelings towards former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
While he disagrees with Gachagua on many political matters, Khalwale admitted that he respects his constant effort to pay attention to the voices of ordinary Kenyans.
Speaking during a Senate session on Thursday, September 25, 2025, Khalwale said that his main disagreement with Gachagua comes from what he called “tribal politics.”
He insisted that this kind of politics has no place in a country that is struggling to unite its people.
However, he noted that one positive quality Gachagua holds is his belief in listening to the concerns of citizens at the grassroots level.
Khalwale reminded fellow lawmakers about the events of 2024, when Parliament passed the controversial Finance Bill despite widespread protests led by Gen Z.
He said the failure to listen to the youth nearly tore the country apart.
“When we ignored the cries of Kenyans during the Finance Bill, Parliament almost killed itself. We must not repeat the same mistake. I may not agree with Wamunyoro because of his tribalism, but I give him credit for listening to the people,” Khalwale stated.
Rigathi Gachagua has built much of his political identity around the slogan “Skiza Ground”—a Swahili phrase meaning “listen to the ground.”
His Democratic Change Party (DCP) even uses a logo with a hand around an ear to symbolize paying attention to citizens.
Gachagua has repeatedly argued that Kenyans are the true stakeholders of the country and that their voices should shape political decisions.
He recently announced that he will run for president in 2027, claiming that the call to do so came directly from the ground.
However, the slogan has not gone unchallenged. Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru insists she was the first leader to popularize the phrase during the 2022 campaigns.
At the time, she said she was “listening to the ground” before deciding to join President William Ruto’s UDA party.
Link;
https://peopledaily.digital/news/khalwale-i-differ-with-gachagua-but-admire-how-he-listens-to-the-ground
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