NAIROBI, Kenya — In an explosive press conference on Monday, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claimed there’s a sinister plot that allegedly involves a directive from President William Ruto to eliminate him.
According to Gachagua, state-sponsored operatives were dispatched with orders to “deal with him once and for all,” a mission that was allegedly set to unfold during a Sunday church service in Gatanga, Murang’a County.
A Plot, a Church, and an Escape
Speaking from his Karen home, Gachagua painted a picture that reads more like a spy thriller than a political spat. While attending church on May 18, he says he was tipped off by sources within the security sector that President Ruto had sanctioned a covert operation against him.
“While attending a church service in Gatanga Constituency yesterday, I received intelligence reports that President William Ruto had ordered that I be dealt with once and for all,” Gachagua claimed.
The former deputy president insists that when state-sponsored goons failed to neutralize him, the plan escalated to include uniformed officers. He alleges that security agencies intended to intercept his convoy and plant weapons to fabricate criminal charges against him.
“Patriotic officers deployed in the operation confided in us that the plan was to plant arms in our convoy,” Gachagua stated. “This would have given them a pretext to arrest and charge me in court.”
This development follows a weekend of high-stakes tension, during which police reportedly surrounded Gachagua’s properties in what appeared to be a coordinated maneuver.
The former DP says he had to use alternative routes to evade capture and even suggested there was a plan to disarm his official security detail, leaving him vulnerable.
DCI Summons? Not So Fast
Despite reports of interest from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Gachagua insisted he had not received any official summons. He framed the Sunday evening standoff as an ambush rather than a lawful investigation.
“I was not served with any summons as required by law,” he emphasized, noting that his abrupt change of route was to avoid being intercepted on public roads.
The Sunday encounter follows remarks Gachagua made during the same church service in Gatanga, which he claims have been misinterpreted by political rivals.He clarified that his statements were not calls for unrest but a reflection of public sentiment about potential election interference.
“I never said there would be chaos,” he stated. “All I said is Kenyans are urging the President and the IEBC not to rig elections.”
