Rigathress: Origin Of Pastor Dorcas Rigathi's New Nickname
The Spouse of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was turned into a day-old celebrity by Kenyans On Twitter (KOT)...
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After several days of begging and waiting, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has her own nickname.
The Spouse of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was turned into a day-old celebrity by Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) on Wednesday, March 8 who took to call her 'Rigathress', barely days after she indicated that she was waiting for her own moniker.
"Rigathress" is a name that is a combination of the name Rigathi and the suffix "ress". Moreover, it sounds like the Kikuyu pronunciation of the word 'regardless'.
Briph, a Twitter user, noted that Kenyans don't care when it comes to nicknaming popular figures in the country.
"Kenyans are on autopilot and they don't care where they will land now. Naming the second lady Rigathress just shows how we don't care who you are hapo juu (up there)," he tweeted.
Another Twitter user, Samoei weighed in by stating that the name 'Rigathress' sounds sweet and sexy.
"You're waking up this morning to Kenyans on Twitter calling the Second Lady, Rigathress. Yaani the high cost of living has pushed Kenyans into talking the way they want?
"Mayie Owiti grandson of Ombija waist of Earth cannot be folded," Gabriel Oguda mocked.
The origins of Pastor Dorcas' new nickname can be traced to a social media post of the Second Lady attending a conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Wangwe, a Twitter user, had wondered what she was doing in the United States (US) while in the company of Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa among other government officials. She had been invited to share her projects aimed at empowering the boy child.
"This government is hilarious. Why is Rigathress in New York?" he posed.
Other Kenyans took note and jumped into the conversation seeking to understand the story behind the nickname, coming six days to the day Pastor Dorcas begged for her own nickname while speaking at a conference on March 2.
At the event held at the University of Nairobi (UoN), she acknowledged that her husband had already been nicknamed 'Riggy G' which had become popular among his friend and family including President William Ruto.
“Nowadays my husband is called Riggy G, I am still waiting for my name,” she stated then.
Other Kenyans online wondered what Pastor Dorcas would think about the new nickname bestowed upon her.
"Rigathress, which apparently 'she had asked for'. The original tweet wasn't a feel-good Riggy G type. It was questioning in what capacity she had attended the New York event," British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist Ferdinand Omondi commented.
Gachagua's nickname, Riggy G, was coined by Ivy Chelimo as far back as the deputy presidential debate in July 2022 as she was impressed by his performance against his counterpart candidate, Martha Karua of the Azimio la Umoja coalition.
The lifestyle influencer, content creator and law graduate from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) shared a post on Twitter which at that time read "Riggy G amekataa kutaja freedom (Riggy G has refused to mention Uhuru)" which was made to mean that Gachagua refused to mention Uhuru during the debate.
It began gaining traction as the days went by but became mainstream during Gachagua's hard-hitting inaugural speech at Uhuru's administration for leaving the economy dilapidated. Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) started using the 'Riggy G' nickname and the origin, being Chelimo, was identified, turning her into an online celebrity overnight.
Speaking during an interview on NTV's The Trend on September 16, 2022, Chelimo dubbed the 'shawry of nicknames' after being identified as the genius behind Gachagua's nickname, revealed that she decided to post about the nickname at that time out of bravery as the mere mention of a politician brings huge traffic on anyone's social media accounts.
It was not until the swearing-in ceremony that she was called to be informed that she was trending on the microblogging platform alongside Gachagua.
The nickname eventually drew Gachagua's attention and led to not just a face-to-face interaction between the two, but a job offer in the DP's office in the communications department.
Ivy Chelimo and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday, October 17, 2022. /TWITTER
