- DCI has written to ODPP recommending charges against Gachagua's allies.
- Kindiki claimed the planners of violence wanted to overthrow the government.
Image: MINA
High-profile arrests are looming as the government mounts a crackdown on politicians accused of facilitating anti-government protests that rocked the country two months ago.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Thursday told MPs the government's position is the planners of the June-July Gen Z protests intended to overthrow President William Ruto.
Without dropping names, the Interior boss said the state believes the targeted individuals planned, funded and coordinated the mayhem that almost brought Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration to its knees.
In a tell-all session with members of the National Assembly's security committee, Kindiki said the plot was to launch attacks on Parliament, the Judiciary and State House to make the country ungovernable and force regime change.
The protestors stormed the Judiciary and Parliament on June 25, leaving a trail of destruction.
“There was an attempt to burn and attack protected areas such as Parliament and Supreme Court because there was an attack on the Office of the Chief Justice ,which means the Judiciary was affected,” Kindiki said.
“Those who tried to commit this crime also intended to access State House and take it over unconstitutionally,” Kindiki told the Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs headed by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo.
He said the DCI would soon pounce on the powerful individuals and arraign them to face various charges.
The CS insisted the government would not allow the mayhem experienced in June and July to reoccur.
"I am informed by the DCI that high-level prosecutions will ensue anytime from now, including political leaders who financed protests," Kindiki said.
"We have evidence they financed people to loot shops, to kill Kenyans, expose them to danger. We cannot continue the kind of mayhem we saw in July and June for whatever reason.
"We were dealing with the aftermath of the attempted overthrow of the Republic of Kenya, which is not an easy matter.
“That's why I've said this job is very unpopular. We will do it. We are going to prosecute high-level people who assisted criminals to harm other people, to destroy infrastructure and they have even made an attempt to bring down such a serious institution like Parliament of the people of Kenya."
Kindiki's revelations came at a time the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has recommended prosecution of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s confidants.
The politicians are to be charged with offences relating to the June-July anti-government protests.
The DCI said they launched investigations upon receiving an intelligence report on the planning, mobilising and financing of violent the protests.
Director of investigations at the DCI Abdalla Komesha said two MPs allied to the DP and his aides were implicated, following several meetings at a hotel in Nairobi.
In the September 26 letter to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the DCI said they received intelligence reports linking MPs Benjamin Gathiru (Embakasi Central) and James Gakuya (Embakasi North), among others, to meetings at Hotel Boulevard in Nairobi.
The sleuths want Gathiru to be charged with soliciting or inciting others to offences contrary to section 391 of the Penal Code.
Gathiru alongside Gakuya and ex-MPs George Theuri and Ngunjiri Wambugu will face conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to section 393 of the Penal Code.
Pius Munene, who DCI also links to the plans, will face charges.
The Embakasi Central MP will face a further charge of money laundering contrary to sections 3, 4 and 7 of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.
The ODPP is analysing the file before giving directions on whether to charge or not.
On Thursday, the DP fought back terming the charges choreographed to nail his staff and lawmakers perceived to be close to him.
“This evil scheme is to associate them with violent demonstrations that took place in late June, in a futile attempt to soil my name and hopefully create grounds for the mooted impeachment proceedings against me,” Gachagua said in a statement.
“Kenyans are intelligent people. They know what factors made Kenyans take to the streets. Kenyans also know what the real problems in Kenya are. They surely know Rigathi is not among them. Let our agencies remain professional, follow the rule of law and keep off politics.”
The developments come at as MPs are signing an impeachment motion against the DP, who has fallen out with his boss William Ruto.