In his first public statement since his impeachment by the Senate, Kenya’s former Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, has detailed what he describes as “a year of continual persecution and stress” inflicted by President William Ruto. Speaking shortly after being discharged from Karen Hospital in Nairobi, Gachagua claimed his security detail was removed while he was in the hospital “fighting for his life.”
“I want Kenyans to know that as I return home, I have no security. If anything happens to me or my family, President Ruto must be held accountable,” Gachagua stated. He accused the president of violating a court order by withdrawing his security, despite a temporary ruling by Kenya’s High Court halting the appointment of his replacement.
Reflecting on the challenges of the past year, Gachagua said, “It has been very difficult for me, but I am a man who endures. What happened on Thursday (Oct. 17) is the culmination of a year of persecution and stress.” He claimed that President Ruto intended to subject him to the same fate as Kenneth Matiba, a politician who suffered a stroke after a period of political pressure under President Daniel arap Moi.
In a serious allegation, Gachagua said there were attempts on his life. “On August 30 in Kisumu, undercover agents entered my room and bugged it. One of them tried to poison my food, but we detected the plot and avoided the scheme. I was supposed to be killed by food poisoning,” he alleged. He further claimed that on September 3, National Intelligence Service agents attempted to poison food intended for him and the Kikuyu council of elders in Nyeri.
Gachagua was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, October 20, after being treated for what he described as a “life-threatening health condition.” He dismissed the 11 charges brought against him in the impeachment trial as “nothing but malice and fiction,” attributing the entire process to a political scheme by President Ruto to remove him from office.
“I don’t think the president ever intended to work with me. I believe he only needed me to help him win the election because of my ability to mobilize and the support I command in the Mount Kenya region,” Gachagua asserted. He concluded by stating that his “only crime” was speaking the truth as the only elected official in President Ruto’s cabinet.
President Ruto has yet to respond to Gachagua’s accusations.
(AP)
