Nairobi, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has distanced himself from claims linking him to the funding and coordination of criminal elements who infiltrated the June 25th Gen Z-led protests, instead pointing fingers at the Ministry of Interior, accusing it of enabling the violence witnessed across multiple counties.
In an interview with NTV on Friday, Gachagua dismissed allegations that he or any political figure orchestrated the chaos that unfolded in 26 counties, describing the Gen Z movement as a “leaderless, tribeless, and structureless”initiative that could not be manipulated by political forces.
“It is playing around with Kenyans to imagine Rigathi Gachagua or anybody else can coordinate activities in 26 counties at the same time,” he remarked.
The former deputy president turned his criticism towards Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, accusing him of neglecting his duty by allowing criminals to loot and cause destruction under the watch of law enforcement.
Gachagua questioned the efficiency of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), suggesting that their failure to detect or prevent the violence either pointed to gross incompetence or deliberate negligence.
“If these activities were planned, we have the National Intelligence Service. Where were they? If they did not know, they slept on the job. If they knew and did nothing, then they are guilty of failing to stop anarchy and violence,” he said.
Gachagua further alleged that the violence, looting, and destruction only began after 6 p.m., insinuating that organized groups took advantage of the darkness while police officers stood by.
“Many protesters were arrested, others were killed. But not a single goon was shot or arrested. This happened on Wednesday, today is Friday, and still, none of the goons have been arrested,” he added.
Maintaining that the Gen Z protests were largely peaceful, Gachagua blamed what he termed state infiltration, designed to discredit the demonstrators and justify a government crackdown.
“If they had intelligence that the goons were paid by Rigathi Gachagua or anybody else, why did they not arrest them? If these were my goons, they would have been shot dead or in custody. Why did they allow goons to wreak havoc in Nairobi?” he questioned.
The former deputy president concluded by urging CS Murkomen to “respect the intelligence of Kenyans,” warning that attempts to scapegoat peaceful demonstrators would only deepen public mistrust in the government.
“The CS Interior must respect Kenyans. People are not stupid. The real goons came after 6 p.m. The looting was done in darkness. Why were the goons not arrested or shot?” he posed.
The government has yet to respond directly to Gachagua’s remarks.
By Were Kelly
