NAIROBI, Kenya — The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has issued a scathing response to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s letter to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, dismissing his claims of threats and alleged political intimidation in Mbeere North as “fictional and diversionary.”
In a letter dated Thursday, November 13, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan accused Gachagua of fabricating incidents to stir political drama ahead of the November 27 Mbeere North Constituency by-election.
Omar described the former Deputy President’s letter as “a satirical drama script, miserably emaciated on facts and bloated on innuendo.”
“Foremost, the claims and allegations as well as the names dropped in your letter, including those of alleged ‘close associates’ of UDA Chairperson and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire and Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, only exist in your pregnant imagination,” Omar wrote.
He went on to accuse Gachagua of engaging in diversionary politics, alleging that his recent outbursts reflected the decline of his political influence. “Your desperate, diversionary offensive against the National Police Service and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission exposes the floundering of a political personality whose career is collapsing under the weight of a documented history of misdeeds,” Omar stated.
The ruling party’s secretary general further accused Gachagua of having a “long public record of divisive rhetoric, political thuggery, and disrespect for leaders,” citing previous incidents of violence and misconduct.
“The nation has a long memory of how you have routinely utilized abusive and insulting language against leaders who reject your polarizing politics,” Omar said, adding that past acts of violence and looting had left “a permanent emblem” of Gachagua’s political style.
Responding to Gachagua’s claims that his safety was under threat, Omar termed the assertions both “absurd and ironic.” He questioned the motive behind the former DP’s decision to campaign for a candidate from another party, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), instead of fielding his own.
“The sheer absurdity of your claim is only surpassed by the irony that you are campaigning for a candidate belonging to another party — a clear testament that your DCP is too disorganized to field a viable candidate,” Omar said.
The UDA SG also challenged Gachagua to account for alleged financial impropriety involving a supposed DCP parliamentary candidate in Mbeere North. “Before engaging in theatrics, you need to address the scandal where you swindled funds from a candidate under the guise of issuing a nomination certificate that never was,” Omar claimed, adding that locals were demanding refunds.
He further defended UDA’s candidate, Leo Wamuthende, describing him as law-abiding and widely supported in Mbeere North. “We caution you against attempting to drag Leo Wamuthende into your melodramatic reactions,” Omar said. “Our campaigns have been peaceful and conducted with zero incidents of violence.”
In his earlier letter to IG Kanja dated November 12, Gachagua had accused certain individuals — including Simon Njagi Njiru (Gitundu wa Gitundu), Josiah Kariuki Ngari (Mtetezi Puff) and Susan Nyaga — of issuing threats of violence against him and his supporters ahead of the poll.
He alleged that the suspects were linked to senior government officials and demanded their arrest. “We demand that the above persons must be arrested immediately, arraigned, and charged under the Penal Code,” Gachagua wrote.
The former DP also claimed that state-backed groups had been mobilized to disrupt his campaigns between November 16 and 24, when he plans to visit the constituency.
“The government’s plan to disrupt the electoral process in Mbeere North will not be accepted,” he warned.
The heated exchange between Gachagua and UDA comes amid growing political tension in Embu County, where rival factions are jostling for influence ahead of the crucial by-election — a contest now shaping into a litmus test for the former DP’s political relevance and the ruling party’s internal cohesion.
