Democracy for Citizens party leader Rigathi Gachagua has raised serious concerns about how the government is dealing with leaders who criticize it. He shocked Kenyans by claiming that the state had planned to assassinate him shortly after he returned from the United States.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Tuesday night, the former Deputy President alleged that a well-coordinated government operation was staged in Pipeline, Nairobi, only minutes after his arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
He said the attempt on his life was carefully planned to appear as if it had been carried out by ordinary criminals.
According to Gachagua, the plot involved police officers who were dressed as civilians and planted within a group of hired goons.
Their mission, he claimed, was to execute the attack while making it look like random mob violence. He explained that his convoy was attacked near Cabanas, but the real intention was far more sinister.
He revealed that at one point, a heavy object was dropped onto his vehicle, allegedly by the attackers, with the goal of causing serious harm. Fortunately, he managed to escape without injuries.
Gachagua added that his security team conducted a quick risk assessment and advised him against proceeding to Kamukunji, where he had planned to hold a rally.
He said the area was already filled with tens of youths armed with crude weapons, and the situation appeared too dangerous to proceed.
“There were plain-clothed police officers on the ground and another group operating from a civilian helicopter in the air, directing the entire mission. I eventually abandoned my plans to head to Kamukunji because the risks were too high,” Gachagua told Citizen TV.
The opposition leader warned that if the assassination attempt had succeeded, Kenya could have been plunged into chaos. He directly cautioned Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen against allowing such extreme tactics.
“The government had sent policemen disguised as civilians, working together with goons. They wanted me dead in Pipeline, but by the grace of God, I survived. Murkomen should understand that if I had been killed, Kenya would not be the same again. The country would have slipped into civil war,” he declared.
Claims of a Planned Arrest
Gachagua also suggested that beyond the assassination attempt, there were parallel plans to arrest him upon arrival. Interior CS Murkomen had earlier said that Gachagua would be summoned to answer questions over his claims that the state was collaborating with terror groups. But according to Gachagua, the intention was to detain him immediately at the airport.
He said the only reason he was not arrested was because of the massive crowd of supporters who had gathered at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to welcome him back to the country.
“When Murkomen threatened to have me arrested, my supporters organized themselves and came in large numbers to receive me. Their presence discouraged the government from carrying out its plans. To me, it was like a family standing together for my safety,” he explained.
For now, the government has not issued any official response to the explosive allegations made by the former Deputy President.
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