Former Deputy President and DCP party leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto’s administration of orchestrating politically motivated violence targeting opposition leaders. Gachagua made the explosive remarks during a church service in Meru County on Sunday, June 16, as tensions continued to rise ahead of the planned nationwide protests on June 25.
Speaking in his characteristic fiery tone, Gachagua alleged that the government was deploying goons to disrupt peaceful demonstrations, warning that the trend pointed to state-sanctioned anarchy and an erosion of civil liberties.
“Karibu watu 1000 ameweka pale Lare, na watu hawa wamesema leo watu watakufa,” Gachagua claimed, referring to an alleged deployment of armed individuals by the state in Laare, Meru.
He directly aimed at President Ruto, accusing him of fueling division and violence, particularly in opposition strongholds. Gachagua alleged that violence erupted in parts of Meru just before his entourage arrived — an incident he says confirms a broader pattern of intolerance and suppression of dissent.
“Sisi tumesema sisi ni watu ya Mungu. Hapa ni nyumbani. Hata nikikufa hapa Meru kwa mama yangu, ni sawa. Nina shamba hapa, naweza zikwa hapa,” said Gachagua, in an emotionally charged statement.
The former Mathira MP accused Ruto of abandoning the Mount Kenya political base that overwhelmingly supported him in 2022.
“Yeye amepoteza kura milioni nne akifuata kura milioni moja. It cannot be political wisdom,” he said, warning the President against political miscalculations.
Gachagua linked the recent chaos witnessed in the Nairobi CBD during budget day protests to a calculated operation involving rogue police officers and government-sponsored criminal gangs.
“Ulituma ati askari wapigane na goons, lakini goons ni wenu. Ndio wanaumiza watu. Sasa tunaona hii haikuwa genuine — ilikuwa ni benchmarking ya kuunda goons wa serikali,” he alleged.
His sentiments were echoed by UDA Secretary-General Cleophas Malala, who urged police to respect the constitutional right to peaceful protest.
“Polisi, hakikisheni mnaweka usalama wa kutosha. Hatutaki kutumia goons kama serikali. Wapeeni vijana nafasi ya kuomboleza na kukumbuka wenzao,” said Malala.
Gachagua’s comments come as opposition groups prepare to stage mass demonstrations on June 25, with calls for justice, economic accountability, and electoral reforms.
The remarks marked the third day of Gachagua’s tour of Meru and the wider eastern Mount Kenya region, as he intensifies his campaign to reassert influence in a region seen as increasingly restless under the Kenya Kwanza regime.
