Wednesday, February
25, 2026 - TV host Natalie Githinji has opened up about why she
briefly distanced herself from her surname at a time when President William
Ruto was trending with the nickname “Githinji.”
Speaking in an interview with Oga Obinna, Natalie explained
that the timing felt wrong.
“Mr President was trending with me, nikasema, this is the wrong
time to be called Githinji.”
“Just call me Natalie. Niite tu Natalie for now,” she
said, emphasizing her preference to be recognized simply as Natalie while the President’s
nickname dominated public discourse.
President Ruto was nicknamed “Githinji” - a Gikuyu word meaning ‘to
slaughter’ - at the height of the Gen Z–led protests, where
several young people tragically lost their lives at the hands of rogue police
officers.
The grim association made the moniker particularly
controversial, amplifying Natalie’s discomfort with sharing the name at that
moment.
Ruto has long been associated with nicknames that define
each political season, unlike his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, whose monikers
“Jayden” and “Uhunye” carried lighter, playful undertones.
For Natalie, however, the overlap was overwhelming, prompting
her to temporarily drop her surname until the storm passed.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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