POLITICS

Staff at the office of impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua were barred from accessing their offices at Harambee Annex in Nairobi.   Employees who spoke to Citizen TV on condition of anonymity stated that upon reporting to work in the morning, they were told to go back home till further notice.  This came after 108 staff in the same office were recently sent on compulsory leave dealing a big blow to the operations at his office and the notice was issued by Principal Administrative Secretary Patrick Mwangi. “Following the ongoing constitutional process affecting his excellency the Deputy President it has been decided as follows: all officers in job groups T and U are hereby and instructed to proceed on compulsory leave with immediate effect.’’ Apart from his staff being stopped from accessing the office, Gachagua’s security detail was also withdrawn. The embattled Gachagua has come out to lament the treatment he has been accorded, laying all the blame on President Ruto. “I don’t understand this kind of viciousness towards a man who has been your deputy, who has helped you become president, irrespective of whatever he has done. At his lowest moment in life, when he is literally struggling to stay alive.’’ The Office of the Deputy President is one of the busiest offices in the country and this new development raises questions on how things will move forward from now on.  

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Monday summoned the impeached DP Rigathi Gachagua to shed more light on the allegations of an attempted assassination by President Ruto’s administration. In a statement dated on 21st October 2024, DCI termed Gachagua’s allegations as serious and that the remarks could not be taken lightly, especially when emanating from a person of his stature.  In the summon letter, Gachagua was directed to present himself at the DCI headquarters located along Kiambu Road in Nairobi on October 22.  ‘’On October 20, 2024, during a press conference, you publicly stated that there had been multiple assassination attempts on your life. You were quoted saying, ‘On August 30, in Kisumu, undercover security agents entered my room, bugged it, and one of them tried to poison my food. We detected it and were able to escape the scheme. I was supposed to be killed by food poisoning.On October 20, 2024, during a press conference, you publicly stated that there had been multiple assassination attempts on your life. You were quoted saying, ‘On August 30, in Kisumu, undercover security agents entered my room, bugged it, and one of them tried to poison my food. We detected it and were able to escape the scheme. I was supposed to be killed by food poisoning.’’ The detectives further noted that due to the sensitivity of the case, the matter would be handled with the seriousness it deserved.  “We understand the sensitivity of the allegations and assure you that this matter will be handled with the seriousness it deserves. Your statement is a crucial component of our investigation. Thank you for your prompt attention and your cooperation.’’ On Sunday, Gachagua disclosed how a team of officers from the National Intelligence Service plotted his assassination.  “They bugged my room, and one of them tried to poison my food, but we detected it and escaped the scheme. I was supposed to be killed through poisoning.”   

Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has written to the judiciary questioning how cases challenging his impeachment were placed before a 3-judge bench. Through his lawyer John Njomo,Gachagua wants to know whether Chief Justice Martha Koome was involved in the selection of an uneven number of judges to determine all petitions challenging the impeachment process. The letter further questioned why the same three-judge bench that tossed out his application seeking conservatory orders also ‘hastily’ declined to lift an order blocking Deputy President nominee Kithure Kindiki from assuming the position. Gachagua through the letter continues to claim the 3-Judge-Bench – Justices Eric Ogola, Antony Mrima and Freda Mugambi who were constituted to oversee 6 cases, are set to work on two more cases on October 22. This is despite the judges not being constituted to handle the Tuesday cases. Further accusing the judges of claiming there was no open date to hear the petitioners’ cases until October 29 and according to Gachagua’s lawyer this was a well-executed plan to trample the rights of the petitioner. Gachagua’s legal team is also convinced that Justice CJ Koome was not in the country at the material time in question, further suggesting Gachagua was denied a fair trial right from the National Assembly to the Senate and now the Judiciary. During a recent press briefing outside the Karen Hospital, the ousted DP made it clear he would fight his impeachment in court, urging CJ Koome to ensure justice was served. “I ask the Chief Justice Martha Koome to live true to the fidelity of our Constitution. I requested that according to the rules of natural justice, I be given the opportunity to appear before the Senate. In the National Assembly, I was there and defended myself. In the Senate, I was there day one and I was ready for cross-examination.”    

Rigathi Gachagua has recently revealed that there were two attempts to poison him in Kisumu and Nyeri. Addressing the press outside Karen Hospital, Gachagua insisted that he was still the DP, noting that he does not feel safe, especially after his security was withdrawn. “I want to tell Kenyans that I don’t feel safe. When we were in Kisumu, undercover agents entered my room and bugged it. One of them tried to poison my food but we detected and we escaped the scheme. In Nyeri, another team from NIS (National Intelligence Service) also came and tried to poison my food. After the two attempts failed, that’s when the impeachment motion was hatched.” He further disclosed that he had trusted the President well enough not to need a memorandum of understanding like his peers, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula, but the decision ended up costing him. ‘’I bear no grudge against anybody but I had not seen that in President William Ruto, the man I am seeing is not the one I thought that I knew.  It’s unfortunate that while I was in the hospital, my brother and friend, William Ruto, ordered the withdrawal of my security detail. I no longer have any officers assigned to protect me. I never imagined Ruto could be that vicious, especially after I helped him become president. As of today, the Deputy President of Kenya has no security. If anything happens to me or my family, Ruto should be held accountable.” He went on to highlight that following the withdrawal of his security, President Ruto should bear the full responsibility if anything happened to him. ”I want the people of Kenya to know today that as I go home today, I have no security, and is good that they know that if anything happens to me or my family today, President Ruto must be held to account.’’ According to Gachagua he is still the deputy president of the republic of Kenya.  

Rigathi Gachagua has finally appeared in public for the first time giving details related to his health days after he failed to show up to the Senate to testify. Appearing weak and in a somber mood, the former DP stated that were it not for quick medical intervention, he would have been no more. “As we speak, I am okay. I little bit weak but I feel better. The chest pains have gone away. I want to thank those who took their time to see me. I want to say I would remain forever indebted to them. After I stabilised, he (the doctor) did tell me that had I been late for another 20 minutes, you would be told a different story today.” Rigathe Gachagua has further revealed that his security detail was withdrawn after he was rushed to the hospital.  “President withdrew all my guards. Again to cripple the functions. All officers in my office to be sent on compulsory leave.’’ Gachagua was impeached by members of the senate after the motion was presented to the chamber by MPs who had also passed the impeachment motion that had 11 charges against him. He becomes the first ever Deputy President to be  impeached by senators and MPs since the introduction of the 2010 constitution. He has however filled a case to the high court challenging his  impeachment done by the senate and the parliament.