Opposition factions that present a possible threat to the President’s tenure on the throne have been incessantly teargassed or attacked by organised goons whenever they hold public rallies.
Recently, on February 15, 2026, embattled Secretary General of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Edwin Sifuna led top-brass political heavyweights to a rally in Kitengela, Kajiado County, days after being unjustifiably ousted as SG by the party.
During the event, which had attracted a mammoth crowd by noon, police officers lobbed teargas canisters in the middle of the convocation, forcing everyone to scamper for safety.
Of more concern was even how the canisters were lobbed, many arguing that the officers did not adhere to crowd control and mass gathering protocols, unless there was a keen intent to harm innocent civilians.
Live rounds were also fired, fatally injuring 28-year-old Vincent Ayomo.
The incident was met with harsh ridicule from Kenyans and dissenting politicians, questioning why police officers are being used to cause chaos among peaceful civilians.
Kiharu Member of Parliament (MP) Ndindi Nyoro said that this trend is not even comparable to the “despotic times” Kenya experienced under a harsh regime.
“The trend we are having in Kenya, where we have teargas being thrown at innocent Kenyans in gatherings that they have a right to attend. Those perpetrating the same, you are growing a monster that will come back to you very soon,” he said during a press briefing.
“We cannot continue to operate in a situation where people imagine they can manage how Kenyans think using teargas is not going to work, and anyone thinking that they can take Kenya in that direction, then you are daydreaming.”
Gachagua’s debacle
Sifuna is not the only politician facing stiff retaliation from the State, as former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has also become a target.
On January 11, a church service attended by the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader was disrupted by violent clashes between rival youth groups outside the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Kiamworia, Gatundu South.
Eyewitnesses said the groups, armed with batons, engaged in a standoff outside the church, prompting police to deploy teargas to disperse the rowdy youths.
The confrontation also disrupted traffic along the Kiamworia-Gatundu South road and resulted in a minibus being vandalised. The driver was accused of ferrying the youths to the area.
Gachagua claimed that the goons were sponsored by the State to cause mayhem, and the officers were also part of the plot targeting the United Opposition member.
Two weeks later, tear gas and live bullets were reportedly used during an attack at ACK Witima Church in Othaya, Nyeri County, where Gachagua was in attendance.
Vehicles were also destroyed, and congregants were injured. The opposition claims intelligence points to planning by a special police unit referred to as “Nairobi Sierra”.
The opposition wrote a detailed letter to the National Security Advisory Council, chaired by President Ruto, highlighting 23 separate incidents in which Gachagua, his family, supporters and members of the public were allegedly attacked between November 2024 and January 2026.
The letter detailed attacks in Limuru, Shamata, Nyeri, Meru, Naivasha, Mai Mahiu, Kakamega, Bungoma, Murang’a, Narok, Nairobi and Kirinyaga counties, some involving tear gas, live ammunition and alleged assaults by police officers or police-backed groups.
Gachagua has promised to marshal 100,000 Kenyans on Friday to march to the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja’s office, to seek justice, saying he would bring the nation’s capital to a standstill.
The Ministry of Interior has condemned the attacks, distancing the government from the allegations, maintaining that the police are mandated to uphold peace and not encourage chaos.
“The police must move without fear or favour and deal decisively with the sponsors and perpetrators of this act without regard to their status in society or political affiliation,” Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen said.
Museveni’s shadow
The regime’s tactic mirrors that of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who has for decades used force to retain power.
This has, however, been marred with sheer brutality on anyone seeking to unseat him, with the most affected people being 69-year-old Kizza Besigye Kifeefe and 44-year-old Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
Being the longest-running opposition leader in Uganda, Besigye has experienced the wrath of the standard police response to public appearances.
In his presidential campaigns in 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016, police frequently used tear gas to disperse his supporters who gathered to meet him, often hitting him.
The most famous attack was on April 28, 2011 campaign when police smashed Besigye’s car windows with hammers and an axe.
They pepper-sprayed and deployed tear gas at point-blank range, causing him to be temporarily blinded and requiring him to be flown to Nairobi for specialised treatment.
Bobi Wine has had a fair share of teargas attacks in 2021 and 2026 as he was repeatedly attacked in every rally, which forced him to wear a bulletproof vest and ballistic helmet as standard campaign gear.
President Ruto’s sword does not fall far from Museveni’s, as he has employed a tyrannical fit to deal with his critics, at the expense of innocent civilians.
For Sifuna — who has sworn to honour the wishes of the late Raila Odinga — and his brigade, Gachagua and the United Opposition, they will, if the regime remains invariable, brace for more tussles during their engagements with the public.
Their crystal ball, perhaps, will be cast on Nelson Mandela’s famous words: I was made, by the law, a criminal, not because of what I had done, but because of what I stood for.
