Riggy G: Rigathi Gachagua's Plan To Find and Reward Ivy Chelimo
He also disclosed that he was planning to offload part of his Ksh1.22 million salary to boost her as she carries out her work.
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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has initiated plans to track down Ivy Chelimo, a lifestyle influencer, content creator and law graduate who masterminded the viral 'Riggy G' nickname.
Speaking to Citizen TV's Waihiga Mwaura on the night of Sunday, October 2, Gachagua revealed that he has sent his sons to look for Chelimo so that she can sit down with the family for dinner.
He also disclosed that he was planning to offload part of his Ksh1.22 million salary to boost her as she carries out her work.
Gachagua expressed that he was pleased with the nickname, describing it as more straightforward than his two official names and more entertaining.
"The young lady who decided that Rigathi Gachagua is a little bit difficult and not melodious, we need to give him the name Riggy G. To encourage our young people, I took up the name in strides. I have told my sons to look for that girl to come we have dinner.
"I want to encourage that young girl, I will see what I can do for her so that I can see, from my salary, if I can boost her a little bit to be able to do something," he promised.
He noted that by rewarding Chelimo, the young people of Kenya would be recognised for their talents and that the President William Ruto-led administration would support them so that they can use their talents to increase profits.
He recognised how tough it was for young people to get mentors to help them grow more in their crafts through the days of his youth, but promised that the administration would do everything to help their youth create their own success stories.
"Our young people are phenomenal, talented and creative, nobody has ever given them a chance.
The William Ruto-led administration is saying that this is the day that we can allow our talented young people to convert that talent into a source of income," he added.
Chelimo's post on Twitter 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 deputy presidential 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 Friday, September 16, Chelimo, now 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.
“You know actually you can’t mention a politician because you don’t want that traction on your page. So I was like let me make it because he was winning the debate anyway.
"I was like I am not going to mention his name or anyone’s name and then forgot about it. Then three days ago (on September 13) my best friend texts me and she's like 'you're trending on Twitter' I'm like 'what do you mean you're trending on Twitter?' because it was crazy, it was really overwhelming,” Chelimo said.
Chelimo explained that a Twitter user lauded the mastermind behind the nickname before a local media platform exposed her with her username, thus becoming a trend.
She further explained that she is an ardent follower of politics and regarding her political ambitions, she aspires to vie for either a Member of the County Assembly (MCA) or a Senator in the 2027 general elections.
"I follow politics a lot, I actually really like politics. At one point I really wanted to venture into politics but not now, like in 2027. I want to vie for either MCA or Senator in Nandi County," she said, adding that she was ready to test herself in an atmosphere that has proved challenging especially for women.
Ivy Chelimo posing for a photo. /INSTAGRAM.IVY CHELIMO
