NAIROBI, Kenya – Narc Kenya Party leader is among notable political leaders who have come out to strongly condemn the attack on former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua.
Gachagua was forced to flee a funeral service in Limuru, Kiambu County after goons disrupted the event and indiscriminately attacked mourners.
“The barbaric attack on @rigathi members of parliament and mourners in Limuru today is unacceptable and should not occur in a civilized society,” Karua posted on her official X account.
In her own words, the former Justice minister went on:
“This coming after the withdrawal of his security must be wholly blamed on the Ruto regime . Like all citizens he deserves to be free and secure at all times.”
Karua called for the intervention of the media and civil societies in a bid to a vert such situations.
How Rigathi Gachagua reacted to the Limuru attack
Meanwhile, in a statement on X, the former DP who was bundled out of office through an impeachment process insinuated that the State had intentionally withdrawn his security detail to facilitate such an attack.
“Earlier this week the government withdrew the final aspects of my security that was in place after the impeachment process we are contesting. We did not raise issue with this decision although expectations were that any Kenyan who has served at the level of government that I was privileged to serve at, would be secured by government even after leaving office,” he said.
“However it now looks like the decision to withdraw my security was to leave me exposed to the kind of attack we have witnessed today.”
Gachagua recounted the incident at the funeral of a young man named Erastus Nduati, noting that goons specifically targeted him and descended on mourners with all manner of crude weapons, indiscriminately attacking both women and children.
“Today, I was at a funeral service in Limuru for a young man called Erastus Nduati. While we were preparing to lay the young man to rest goons attacked us & the other mourners who were present, including children. The gangsters were armed with stones, machetes, iron bars & sticks,” he said in the X statement.
“They descended randomly on mourners present and attacked them using the weapons they had. A specific group followed me as I went to my car, which they proceeded to attack with stones and iron bars. We literally drove out of the venue under a hail of rocks!”
Further, Gachagua expressed his dismay over the state of affairs, condemning the government’s alleged role in the incident.
“This is very sad state of affairs and a major low for the state, who were clearly complicit in these actions. We just especially remember the family that had a loved one in a casket, who had to run to safety despite their profound grief,” he said.
This is not the first time that Karua has come to the defence of Gachagua.
How Martha Karua defended Gachagua after Impeachment
In early October 2024, Karua faulted the National Assembly over what she described as “mob lynching” and Parliament’s failure to exercise independence in the impeachment of Gachagua.
The former Justice Minister claimed that the impeachment confirmed that Kenyans are treading on their own arguing that the process did not meet the threshold to hound the deputy president out of office.
“Although the process is enshrined in the constitution of Kenya under Article 145 and 150, it was disheartening to see the National Assembly behave like a rubber stamp,” she opined blaming the National Assembly for failing to up hold its independence.
Karua claimed that the impeachment confirmed that Kenyans are treading on their own arguing that the process did not meet the threshold to hound the former deputy president out of office.
“Although the process is enshrined in the constitution of Kenya under Article 145 and 150, it was disheartening to see the National Assembly behave like a rubber stamp,” she opined blaming the National Assembly for failing to up hold its independence.
Karua popularly known as ‘Iron Lady’ urged Kenyans to rally together to object to poor governance and act as a watchdog as the National Assembly has proved to be a rubber stamp of the executive.
It is not yet clear if both Karua and Gachagua who were chosen as running mates by the top presidential contenders Raila Odinga and William Ruto in the 2022 General Election plan to work together as the Kenyan political landscape takes shape.
