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Tuesday, September 19, 2023 –Deputy President Rigathi Gachgua has been forced to revisit the ‘Tiger debate’ following social media trolls after he claimed in Colombia that Kenya has Tigers for tourism.
Speaking in Nairobi on Monday September 18, the second in command responded to critics who had questioned his claims on the availability of the animals in the country.
And addressing during the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Pan-African Conference at a Nairobi Hotel, the DP noted that this was a light slip of the tongue due to his closeness with the Kikuyu community.
DP on what he meant by Tigers
He, therefore, said he meant to say the Leopards and not Tigers as it had been picked by a larger section of Kenyans on Twitter.
“From where I come from, when we are speaking, we think in our mother tongue and then directly translate it to English. So, in my community of Kikuyu, a Leopard and Tiger are one and the same,” Gachagua quipped.
The Tiger remarks emanated from his recent visit in Colombia where he went for Coffee-related matters.
And during his meeting with the diaspora, political and business leaders from the South American nation, he humoured the foreigners by describing Kenya’s vibrant tourism and wildlife sector as one of its kind.
He went on to lure them to not only visit the country but also to think of investing in Kenya where ‘Tigers’ are available in the National Parks.
Kenyans on Twitter Differed
It was at this point that, Kenyans on Twitter jumped in to criticize the clams that Kenya had Tigers.
They went ahead to seek answers on the DP’s knowledge of the country he comes from and his level of tourism knowledge.
In a nutshell, many African nations have no species of Tigers since the species is only common in Asian countries that include India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Russia, Indonesia among a few more.
Kenya, though a known tourism hub, can only be found Tigers, Lions, Zebras among a few other species of animals, reptiles and birds.
Gachagua jetted back in the country from Colombia last Sunday.
