- Gachagua claimed that his allies are being targeted by State functionaries for persecution.
- The DP came to the defence of Retired president Uhuru Kenyatta calling for a stop to attacks against him.
Image: DPCS
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua started a busy week with a vernacular interview where he sensationally alleged an assassination plot and rubbished reports of an impeachment motion.
After weeks of alleged differences, Gachagua joined his boss William Ruto on an extensive three-day tour of a section of the Mount Kenya region that included the launching of development projects.
During the trip, the two leaders who are said to have irreparably fallen out, put a brave face across the region – a façade aimed at defusing tensions- in the wake of widening cracks.
The two traversed Embu, Murang’a and Kirinyaga counties albeit with a hiatus on Thursday to witness the swearing-in of the reconstituted Cabinet.
The visit also comes against the drumbeats of a plot to impeach the DP, who has also complained of a government crackdown targeting him and his allies.
Recently, DCI officers seized phones belonging to two of Gachagua’s allies – Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru and his Embakasi North counterpart James Gakuya.
Gachagua, who accompanied the President and is expected to take part in all the scheduled activities, received a rapturous reception in his address to Embu residents.
“You will be seeing us more often. We will be coming to monitor the progress of these projects,” Gachagua said, adding they would continue with the fight against alcoholism.
The DP, who has been under pressure from President William Ruto’s allies over claims of sabotaging the government, claimed last Sunday that his close associates were being targeted for elimination.
Mt Kenya 'abandoned their son Uhuru Kenyatta' and voted in Ruto almost to the last man, but the recent political events are argued to have eaten into that support.
Gachagua said the plot to kill those close to him is supposed to intimidate him and vanquish his political career despite being the country’s second in command.
When asked about the impeachment plans, Gachagua claimed that he has been made aware that some MPs have been scheming his ouster but challenged them to make good their threat.
During the week, it also emerged that while some of the president’s allies had initially hatched the plot to kick out Gachagua, they later ruled out the option as it would give him public sympathy.
During his tenure as deputy president, President Ruto did not face an impeachment motion despite falling out irreparably with his then-boss Uhuru Kenyatta.
The anti-Ruto troops at the time known as Kieleweke – a moniker for Uhuru believed that bringing an impeachment motion would hand Ruto public support.
On Sunday, Gachagua who had a wide-ranging interview with local media stations from Mount Kenya region, cut an image of a man under siege from the president’s men.
He alleged some of his staff were being harassed and targeted by State agencies including the alleged failed murder of a former National Intelligence Office he had hired.
This was one of Gachagua’s most bold claims against state agencies, weeks after he accused NIS boss Noordin Haji of alleged incompetence and meddling in the country’s politics.
During the interview with the Agikuyu stations on Sunday, Gachagua claimed that one of the NIS officers he hired after being sacked escaped death narrowly.
“A former NIS officer who I hired to work in my office was followed by unknown people on a motorcycle to my Karen home and was shot and injured in the shoulder but luckily he went to hospital and the bullet was removed," Gachagua claimed.
The DP also claimed that his political associates were being pursued for persecution by state functionaries in what he described as a wider scheme to intimidate him.
The DP made the remarks at a time when the police are said to be narrowing down on two of Gcahagua’s allies –Embakasi North MP James Gakuya and his Embakasi Central Counterpart Benjamin Mejja Donk- in relation to the recent anti-government protests.
The two on Tuesday obtained court orders to stop their arrest and prosecution over their alleged involvement in Generation Z protests that rocked the country in recent weeks.
In the no-holds-barred interview, the DP also spoke about what he feels about President Ruto’s deal with opposition leader Raila Odinga’s ODM party following the formation of a government of national unity.
The DP also delved into his relationship with Uhuru saying ‘’we talk and are doing something together.’’
After the 2022 polls, Gachagua launched a blistering attack on Uhuru and the Kenyatta family and was fingered for allegedly being in the know of the raid at their Highlands farm along Thika Road.
The DP came to the defence of Gachagua saying he would start protecting his person from attacks.
“Let me say this, I will not let Uhuru Kenyatta's name be dragged through the mud ever again because I am the one who defends him," Gachagua said.
"We want Uhuru's name to be respected because he has done a lot of work for this country. It cannot be that every time things are going wrong in the country they must drag his name through it.’’
This was a stark contrast from his past outbursts in which he blamed the Kenyatta family for sinking the country’s economy and allegedly stashing away billions of shillings.
In the wake of anti-Finance Bill protests, Gachagua claimed that there was an elaborate plan to frame former President Uhuru Kenyatta and him for the violence witnessed.
But on Sunday he appeared to have changed tune on Uhuru, largely sparked by the alleged plans to remove him from office.
"Let us give him and his family respect and peace. Let him be given his retirement benefits, his cars and his bodyguards."