NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is urging Kenya’s youth to stay home on June 25, warning of a sinister plot to spill blood during the planned commemoration of last year’s deadly anti-tax protests. His message? “Don’t walk into a trap.”
Speaking on Kameme FM, Gachagua claimed President William Ruto’s government—alongside Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja—has been quietly assembling groups of hired goons to infiltrate and violently disrupt the planned remembrance march.
These same goons, he alleged, have accompanied the president on past visits to the capital and are now being weaponized to provoke chaos.
“I fear that if the youth take to the streets, the government and the governor of Nairobi will use goons,” Gachagua said. “They’ll be brought from Umoja, Kayole, and other places—to kill our children.”
The June 25 commemoration marks one year since the nationwide youth-led protests against punitive tax policies turned deadly, with dozens killed and hundreds injured in confrontations with police.
Now, amid fresh outrage over the recent death of blogger Albert Ojwang’ in police custody, tension is running high again.
According to Gachagua, the government is desperate—and dangerous. He urged young people to find safer ways to remember those who died, suggesting symbolic acts from home rather than taking to the streets.
“These people want to spill the blood of young people,” he added. “Let’s not take our children to the slaughterhouse while we watch.”
His comments follow scenes of chaos in downtown Nairobi on June 12, where protestors clashed with police while demanding the arrest of Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat over Ojwang’s death.
Gachagua dismissed reports that cars were torched during the protests, claiming no one filed a police report and that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) couldn’t trace the vehicles to any registered owners.
“There were no real victims. Those cars were planted—just an excuse to send in the police,” he alleged.
With the anniversary drawing near calls for justice are growing louder.
