Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is mourning his elder sister, Eunice Nyangari Gachagua. She died aged 77 in Naro Moru, Nyeri County, on Thursday, The Eastleigh Voice reported. Gachagua shared the news in a family statement on social media on Friday.
In the statement, Gachagua called Nyangari the family's firstborn sister. He said she had been their mother figure since their mother, Martha Kirigo Gachagua, died seven years ago. According to The Eastleigh Voice, he said she gave guidance, warmth and emotional support to her siblings and relatives. Her death, he said, had left a big gap in the family.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader sent condolences to her children, Waithera and Murimi. He also extended them to her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the wider Reriani family. He remembered her as a cheerful person. "We will deeply miss her wise counsel, warmth and the precious moments we shared. Eunice was a happy and warm soul who lit up our hearts," he said. He thanked God for the 77 years she lived and prayed for her soul to rest in peace.
Her death is the latest in a series of losses for the family. In June 2024, Gachagua announced the death of another sister, Leah Wangari Muriuki, aged 82, The Eastleigh Voice reported. He also described her as a family matriarch. The family has lost three brothers in recent years as well.
Former Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua died in February 2017 while undergoing treatment in London. According to Citizen Digital, he was the first Governor of Nyeri County and had served as MP for Mathira. James Reriani Gachagua died in May 2022. He was a US-educated communications engineer who ran for the Mathira seat in 2013. Jackson Reriani died in September 2022. At Jackson's burial, Gachagua recalled how his brother had supported his education from Form One to Form Six.
The family comes from Hiriga village in Mathira Constituency, Citizen Digital reported. Their father, Mzee Nahashon Gachagua Reriani, lived to 105. He serviced weapons for Mau Mau fighters in the Mount Kenya forest. Their mother carried food and ammunition to the fighters. The patriarch had two wives, Martha Kirigo and Lydia Nyaguthii, and 13 children. Rigathi Gachagua was MP for Mathira from 2017 to 2022 before becoming Deputy President.