Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has slammed South Africa’s opposition Member of Parliament Julius Malema over his recent remarks during his visit to the country.
Malema offered a scathing criticism of President William Ruto’s administration – a move that seemingly drew the ire of Gachagua who retaliated on Saturday, November 11, 2023, during his address during a church service at St Thomas Girls Secondary School in Kilifi.
In his response, Gachagua touted Kenya’s lifestyle contrasting South Africa’s state of living and argued that it is inappropriate for visitors to criticise their hosts.
Gachagua says visitors should portray some sort of decorum while visiting Kenya and travel back home peacefully.
“I have seen a South African man who barely knows a thing about Kenya talking about us. This guy arrived in Kenya in the morning, and by noon, he had known all the affairs of the country. If you are saying that Kenya is bad, then why visit here?” the DP quipped.
Adding;
“I would like to advise foreigners that when they visit countries, let them respect leaders from the countries they are visiting. We have also travelled abroad but you don’t see us pulling such stunts.”
According to the DP, South Africa is still dealing with problems like power rationing. He says, during his last visit to the country, the power outage ran for at least seven hours a day.
Malema was in the country for the launch of the Pan African Institute at Lukenya University in Makueni County.
During his address, Malema criticised Ruto for failed campaign pledges and poked holes into King Charles III’s State visit to Kenya.
“I don’t know if President William Ruto means it because he said so many things, and I cannot locate him these days because the things he said during elections and the things he is doing now are two different things,” he said.
BY NAOMI NJOROGE