Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has disregarded an invitation from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to clarify allegations he made regarding purported attempts on his life. Instead, Gachagua opted to attend court at the Milimani Law Courts for a case he filed to contest his ouster.
The DCI clarified that the letter sent to Gachagua was not a summons but a request for him to provide clarification on his claims. “This is not a summons but an attempt to have him clarify the claims he made,” said an official familiar with the situation.
Gachagua arrived at Milimani Court around 10:30 a.m. to prepare for his case before a three-judge bench. Some government officials and the DCI felt that if Gachagua’s allegations went unchallenged, they could escalate further, prompting detectives to seek his input for what they termed clarification.
He was expected to appear at the DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road on Tuesday, October 22, where a team was on standby to take his statement. They insisted they wanted his assistance in investigating the claims.
After being discharged from Karen Hospital in Nairobi on Sunday, where he was admitted while Senators voted on his impeachment, Gachagua claimed, “I don’t feel safe. On August 30, undercover police agents in Kisumu entered my room, and one of them attempted to poison my food, but we detected it and managed to escape. I was supposed to be killed through poisoning.”
He added, “On September 3rd in Nyeri, NIS (National Intelligence Service) officers came and tried to poison food meant for me and Kikuyu elders. I reported the matter to NIS and requested that the officers assigned to my office leave. After the assassination attempts failed, this impeachment motion was hatched.” Gachagua expressed concern over his security being withdrawn, which he said left him exposed to danger.
The DCI noted that Gachagua publicly stated there had been multiple assassination attempts on his life.
“You were quoted saying, August 30th, in Kisumu, undercover security agents entered my room, bugged it, and one of them tried to poison my food. We detected it and were able to escape the scheme. I was supposed to be killed by food poisoning.
“You went further to state, “On September 3rd, another team from the National Intelligence Service came to Nyeri and tried to poison food that was meant for me and the Kikuyu council of elders,” the letter said.
“These are serious allegations emanating from a person of your stature and cannot be taken lightly. In light of the seriousness of this matter, we kindly request your presence on 22nd October 2024 at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Headquarters, Mazingira Complex-Kiambu Road, to formally record your statement to enable prompt and thorough investigations into the matter.”
The DCI said the police understand the sensitivity of the allegations and assured Gachagua the matter will be handled with the seriousness it deserves.
“Your statement is a crucial component of our investigation.”
Gachagua accused President William Ruto of betrayal saying he did not know the Head of State “could be that vicious”.
He added that he was shocked by how a man he “helped to be President… believed in” could turn against him.
“If anything happens to me or my family President Ruto must be held to account,” he said.
Ruto has not commented on Gachagua’s impeachment since its motion was moved and has not addressed the ousted DP’s Sunday allegations, either.
