Ivy Chelimo on how she came up with DP Gachagua's 'Riggy G' moniker

If you have been active on social media for the past two months or so, chances are that you have probably encountered the epithet 'Riggy G' which Kenyans on Twitter (KoT) are now using to refer to newly sworn-in Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The creator of the said moniker had gone unnoticed ever since the name first popped up on Twitter, during the deputy presidential debate in July, but after it was well received and went viral on the platform it was later established that the brains behind the alias was none other than recently graduated law student Ivy Chelimo.

Chelimo says that she came up with the DP's nickname by chance as she followed the proceedings of the televised deputy presidential debate but she never once thought that the name would generate all that buzz on social media after hitting the send key for her tweet.

"You know how you can't actually mention a politician just because sometimes you don't want that traction on your page. That was me then but  I was like let me just mention him because he was winning the debate anyway," she said in an interview with NTV on Friday.

The Catholic University of East African (CUEA) graduate says that she was lost for words, earlier this week, when a friend of hers called to tell her that her Twitter handle was trending alongside the 'Riggy G' moniker on the platform during Ruto's and Gachagua's inauguration on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.  

"I forgot about it because it just happened and then three days ago on Tuesday my best friend texts me and she is like you are trending on Twitter and I was like what do you mean ? It was crazy, it was really overwhelming," she said.

The lifestyle content creator says that she was equally humbled when DP Gachagua used the nickname to refer to himself during a luncheon held at State House, Nairobi following his inauguration.

Her five minutes of fame were however not received well by all Twitter users.

"Majority of the posts have been congratulatory but I have been called the githeri man of this election. Today someone was like, I don't understand why you can be on TV for something this small," she said.

Neither Gachagua or any of his team members have however reached out to Chelimo personally but she says that she would jump at the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with Kenya's second most powerful man.

"I feel like I'd ask him about the speech, like what was going on in his mind during the speech. His line of thought is something that I would like to understand," she said.  

While chiming in on DP Gachagua's memorable inauguration ceremony and acceptance speech, Chelimo revealed that she holds an interest in politics citing that she plans to throw her hat in the local political arena come 2027.

"I actually really like politics and I even want to venture into politics; not now though. In 2027 I want to vie for MCA or senator in Nandi County," she said.  

"His (Gachagua) address was a bit controversial, he addressed a few issue that the country has but I don't think that was something when we needed to put out there we needed to put out there in front of those dignitaries."