Gachagua claims his life in danger

In a letter laced with startling allegations against top security officers, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua  has claimed his life is in danger.

Gachagua wrote to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja yesterday, claiming he has survived multiple “assassination” attempts, highlighting instances where he had been a target.

The former DP accuses Kanja of looking the other way in the face of “thought-out” attempts on his life, which he said began with withdrawal of his security detail when he was impeached last October.

Gachagua alleged the plan involved planned attacks at his Nairobi and Nyeri homes by individuals “well-known” to Kanja, accusing him of being an accomplice.

“You withdrew my security in a clear thought-out scheme and backward conspiracy to make me venerable (vulnerable) to organised criminal gangs in cohort (cahoots) with the Police and other Security Agencies and have been implementing the scheme,” wrote Gachagua, who demanded that his security – personal and for his homes and property – be reinstated.

He doubled down on claims that intelligence agents had been tracking him and his immediate family members “with marked and unmarked vehicles.” “Notably, on 19th of December, 2024, an NIS officer with a fake car number plate KCR 919U trailed me for over 150km in Makueni for reasons best known to yourselves,” said Gachagua.

“Clearly and as such, the NIS officers trailing me is a clear sign they coordinate with criminal gangs on my activities, movements in order to attack me,” he added, calling for an end to the alleged stalking.

The former DP warned that harming him would see the country “fall into unspeakable violence you can only imagine leading to political instability and breakdown of law and order.”

His letter comes amid an unending war of words between President William Ruto and the former DP. The claims are similar to those made by Ruto during the 2022 campaigns, when, as DP, he accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of scheming evil against him and said his predecessor should “spare my children.”

Gachagua shared the letter on his social media handles, captioning it, ‘My life is in danger,’ in which he chronicled instances in which he believed he had been at risk of being assassinated.

He began with an incident in November, where he said he was attacked at a funeral in Limuru and had his vehicles damaged, with mourners roughed up.

“The attackers, whose photos and information were shared online for more than one month on, no action has been taken on either. Instead, politicians and leaders aligned to me, including senator Karungo Wa Thang’wa, former Limuru MP Hon. Peter Mwathi have been treated to harassment by security agencies over what is within your knowledge of whom the planners and executors were (sic.),” said Gachagua.

Last December, Thang’wa and Mwathi recorded statements with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations over the incident.

Gachagua also highlights an episode in Nyandarua a month later, in which a tear gas canister was hurled at the main dais where the former DP was seated. He lamented that no action has been taken by an inspector of police who was present at the event.

“An inspector of police flanked by organised criminal gangs threw tear gas canister at me to scatter my supporters and create a fertile avenue to attack me with an assassination intent. The inspector of police, well known to you, has not been disciplined for destabilising peace and an attempted assassination,” added the former DP.

Other incidents include the disruption of a prayer rally in Nyeri attended by his wife, Dorcas Rigathi, in January, where he accused the police “in civilian attire” of joining criminals to disrupt the event. He said he was to attend the occasion but chose not to after an intelligence tip-off.