Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has threatened to call for protests in February to remove the heads of the security docket from office if the police officers who attacked him in Nyeri are not arrested.
Speaking during an interview on Friday, January 30, Gachagua disclosed that he informed the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, of the rogue police squad that was out to kill him and that the matter needed to be dealt with urgently.
He noted that failure to do so will force him to call demonstrations to push for Kanja’s, as well as Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s, removal from office.
“I have looked at the IG of police straight in the eye and told him that the attack at Witima Church was an assassination attempt. A special squad of police officers called Nairobi Sierra of 12 officers was dispatched to eliminate us.
“We have told the IG that the squad must be arrested and disarmed. If this situation continues after February 16, tutaitisha maandamano to remove the Interior CS, Police IG and the 2 DIGs from office,” Gachagua stated.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader has accused President William Ruto of allegedly sanctioning the attack. He further claimed that Murkomen and Deputy IG Eliud Lagat were part of the plan allegedly hatched to take his life.
He disclosed that he had submitted the names of police officers who were dispatched from Nairobi to orchestrate the attack to IG Kanja and demanded that they be arraigned in court.
Gachagua told the press that DCP would continue with its political meetings and asked the police to protect as required by the law.
“We will go back to Othaya on Sunday, and if the police officers do not want to provide security in our meetings, they should not come to help goons,” he reiterated.
IG Kanja addressed the reports of the Witima attack and maintained that police were looking into the matter. He further directed the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) to expedite the matter urgently.
The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) also came out to criticise the attack, stating that churches were places of worship and needed to be protected. NCCK called for the prosecution of the police officers involved.
