In Summary:
- The law graduate’s five word tweet has landed her a job in the Office of the Deputy President.
- She is from Nandi County and has political ambitions of vying for either the MCA or senate seat in 2027.
On 19th July, 2022, Ivy Chelimo took to Twitter to air her sentiments on the heated deputy presidential debate that saw Martha Karua square it out with Rigathi Gachagua. Her tweet was sent at exactly 9:11 P.M in which she appeared to throw a banter at Gachagua for not mentioning the word ‘freedom’ which had become more of a cliche in his speeches.
“Riggy G amekataa kutaja freedom,” she tweeted.
The nickname then became a favorite among Kenyans on Twitter. It was even among top of the trends during the inauguration ceremony prompting the search of the person who coined it. An online search revealed that Chelimo was the first tweep to mention the name ‘Riggy G’.
Chelimo reveals that during the debate she wanted to share her two cents without necessarily mentioning names. She was afraid that mentioning politician’s names could land her into trouble.
“You might mess around and mention a politician’s name and get in trouble, but I needed something that would make the youth get aware of the debate,” she told DP Gachagua.
With the unique name becoming special among the youths, the deputy president accepted it and said he was going to look for Chelimo. In an interview with Citizen TV, the former Mathira lawmaker promised to support Chelimo.
“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.”
“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,” revealed Gachagua.
Gachagua hands Chelimo a job
On 17th October, Chelimo landed a fortune after being employed in the office of the Deputy President. She first met Gachagua in Nairobi before they went to Kajiado County for the World Food Day. The Deputy President said that his move was part of the government’s commitment in empowering the creative industry.
“I have offered to empower her within my office as we continue championing the youth agenda and encourage more of our young people to take up their role in shaping the economy of our Country,” reads his tweet.
Ivy Chelimo Background
Chelimo is from Nandi County and is a law graduate from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. She is currently awaiting to enroll for a postgraduate diploma at Kenya School of Law. She is also a content creator specialising in lifestyle and cooking videos.
She looks up to Deputy Speaker Gladys Sholei whom she describes as a woman with acerbic wit, eloquent and courageous. Chelimo has dreams of throwing her hat into the political ring and revealed that in 2027 she may vie for either the MCA or the senatorial seat.
