Trevor Ombija Claims Gachagua Called Royal Media for Him to Be Sacked

In Nyakach, a crowd of residents confronted the Citizen TV journalist as Trevor Ombija faced local backlash after telling them that Rigathi Gachagua had phoned bosses to sack him because of their earlier faceoff and because he is Luo, while adding that only President Ruto stands with the community today.

Tempers flared under the afternoon sun in Nyakach. People pressed forward. Voices rose. Trevor Ombija stood before them and repeated his account of workplace pressure. He said Rigathi Gachagua placed calls seeking his removal from the station.

The reason he gave centred on a past clash between the two men and on his identity as a Luo. He went further. ‘Royal Media does not belong to the community,’ he told the gathering. Only President William Ruto has stood with Luos. He asked whether the president seeks two terms and linked that question to his own support.

Many saw the remarks as an attempt to shift blame and stir old ethnic lines. An aspiring member of parliament who attended the same session rejected the entire approach.

He told the crowd that candidates should speak about roads, water, schools, and jobs. Instead, the discussion stayed fixed on Rigathi Gachagua and tribal loyalty. That choice, the aspirant said, spreads division rather than solutions.

Nyakach sits in Kisumu County along the shores of Lake Victoria. The area carries a long history of political tension around Luo identity and national power. Elections often sharpen those edges. The current moment is no different. President Ruto’s administration has courted Luo voters since 2022. Rigathi Gachagua, removed as deputy president in 2024, remains a loud critic of the government.

What Did Trevor Ombija Tell Nyakach Residents?

Trevor Ombija told Nyakach residents that Rigathi Gachagua tried to force his dismissal from Citizen TV because of a prior confrontation and because Ombija is Luo.

He framed the alleged calls as proof of personal and ethnic targeting. He insisted the media house itself holds no special duty to the Luo community. Support, he argued, comes only from the current president. He raised the prospect of a second term for Ruto and tied his own public stance to that agenda.

No public statement from Rigathi Gachagua or from Royal Media Services has confirmed any attempt to remove Ombija. Citizen TV has stayed silent on the matter.

Why Do Residents Accuse Leaders of Spreading Ethnic Bigotry?

Residents accuse leaders of spreading ethnic bigotry when public talk centres on tribe and personal grudges instead of practical plans for the constituency.

The aspiring MP made that charge directly. He said an election hopeful who spends time dissecting Rigathi Gachagua and ethnic loyalty wastes the moment. People in Nyakach need better health facilities, reliable electricity, and markets that function.

They do not need another round of blame aimed at one community or another. The MP’s intervention drew applause from parts of the crowd. Others stayed quiet, still turning over Ombija’s words.

Kenya’s politics has long mixed ethnicity with competition for power. The 2007 post-election violence left deep scars in western regions. Later elections tested those wounds again.

In 2022 Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition made inroads among Luo voters who had traditionally backed Raila Odinga. Gachagua’s later fall from the deputy presidency and his subsequent public criticism of the government reopened old arguments. Any public figure who leans into those arguments in a Luo heartland risks accusations of stoking division.

Ombija’s appearance fits a pattern of media personalities stepping into political arenas. Some win praise for speaking bluntly. Others draw fire for appearing partisan. In this case the backlash came fast from people who expected focus on local problems.

The aspiring MP’s rebuke underlined the gap. He told listeners that real leadership shows up with budgets and timelines, not with stories of telephone calls and tribal loyalty.