By Anderson Ojwang
Rigathi Gachagua, when he was in office as the Deputy President, wielded power, promised, and taunted then opposition leader the late Raila Odinga and the opposition. He promised to unleash violence to tame and quell any form of protests and asked President William Ruto to task him with handling the demonstrators and Raila.
Gachagua could arrive in the office at dawn with a sole aim: to tame the demos and Raila, a mania that became his forte.
Then Deputy President Gachagua even bragged that his people of Mt Kenya were not goons and do not destroy properties.
For him, the ODM demonstrators were an eyesore to the country and its economy and must be extinguished at all cost.
At functions where he shared a podium with Raila, he demonised the opposition leader and claimed that he was the country’s main trouble, who must be handled with utmost care.
The Nakuru ghost
On July 14th, 2023, at a function in Nakuru County, Gachagua threatened and declared to Raila that enough was enough, that the government would no longer tolerate him.
Ironically, on Friday, in Nakuru, Gachagua was served a dose of his own poison after goons attacked and destroyed vehicles in his convoy.
Gachagua then said the government would no longer turn a blind eye to the demos which have been marred by chaos, violence, destruction of property, and death.
“As a government, we have said enough is enough. Raila Odinga hatakubaliwa tena, under any arrangement, to cause violence, deaths and destruction of property. It will not happen; we have a responsibility as a government to protect the lives and properties of Kenyans. Ile itakuwa wacha ikuwe kwa sababu mtu mmoja hawezi sumbua watu miaka 40. Haiwezekani. How much blood do you want to shed in this country so you can be satisfied?” he said then.
On Friday, goons attacked Gachagua’s convoy and he blamed the government for failing to protect Kenyans.
“When Mr William Ruto and Mr Kipchumba Murkomen said goons would not be allowed anywhere in the country, it was just another lie, the usual lip service and political posturing. They cannot do without goons. But there will be no escape route for this dictatorial regime,” he wrote.
Gachagua claimed the goons were being unleashed on him and the opposition out of what he termed as fear of competition.
“They think that the only way to stop competition after being abandoned by Kenyans is through the use of violence against opponents and the employment of goons,” he claimed.
Goons attacked Gachagua’s convoy at Kaptembwa, in Nakuru Town West Constituency, with axes, rocks, and other crude weapons.
But ODM Minority Leader in the National Assembly, Junet Mohammed, this week accused Gachagua of tormenting Raila and the ODM fraternity during the demos.
Junet claimed that Gachagua was the one who plotted to assassinate Raila during the demonstrations and would arrive in his office in the morning to monitor Raila’s movements.
“Gachagua is the same man who said his disagreement with President William Ruto began when the President and Raila started engaging. The same man today wants to tell us about Raila,” he said.
Attack on Kenyatta farm
The Kenyatta family farm in Ruiru was attacked during the 2023 demos by goons who looted and destroyed properties.
Goons invaded retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family estate on the Eastern bypass, cut down trees, and stole livestock.
While the goons were invading the Kenyatta family property, another group riding on motorcycles attacked the Raila Odinga family company, East Africa Spectre, in Embakasi, Nairobi, and pelted the building with stones, breaking windowpanes.
National Assembly Leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah, then alleged that Uhuru was sponsoring the demonstrations and warned that Nairobi residents were ready to “defend their property”.
“If you want to be respected, you must also respect other people and their properties. If you don’t, we will invade your large tracts of land and allocate them to the landless. And that is my message to none other than Uhuru Kenyatta,” Ichung’wah said.
On Wednesday, Ichung’wah changed the tune and accused Gachagua as being the ‘father’ of goons and having plotted the attack on the founding President the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s family farm in Ruiru.
“I have said this several times: that Gachagua was behind the goons who attacked Kenyatta’s farm in Ruiru. I sat with Gachagua in Harambee Annex when he plotted the attack. I challenge him to deny it,” he claimed.
Do unto others what you expect them to do unto you
For Gachagua, the absence of the trappings of power has finally dawned on him the kind of sacrifices the opposition goes through to stabilise the country.
The incident of goon attacks is a testimony of the sacrifices the freedom fighters persevered to make Kenya a better place.
