Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua Sunday launched an attack on elected leaders from the Mt Kenya region, accusing them of being used by President William Ruto to interfere with his public engagements.
Gachagua alleged that Members of Parliament allied to Ruto are receiving money to fund youth-led disruptions during his church visits and public meetings.
He claimed that groups of young people are paid to hurl stones at his motorcade in what he termed as a deliberate attempt to undermine his influence.
“It is unfortunate that leaders from our region are being used so blatantly,” Gachagua said.
“They are paying our youths to cause chaos while youths from other regions—including the President’s own backyard—are being offered government jobs in the military, police, and agencies like KRA. Why can’t our leaders see what is happening? How foolish can they be?”
He also demanded that President Ruto issue an official apology to the families of victims who perished in the 2007/2008 Kiambaa Church tragedy.
He spoke on Sunday at AIPCA Gatumbi Church in Lari, Kiambu County.
Gachagua urged Ruto to meet the bereaved parents, offer a formal apology, and initiate a compensation plan.
Gachagua criticized what he described as a “casual” approach to justice for young people allegedly killed or abducted during the Gen Z protests.
He called for Ruto to hold a one-on-one meeting with the affected families, acknowledge specific actions, and outline a clear plan for redress.
“How can a President offer such a casual apology for such serious crimes like the killing of Gen Z protestors?” Gachagua questioned.
More than 60 people were killed in the anti-finance protests last year. Many others are nursing wounds following actions by security agencies.
Mocking Kenya Kwanza allies who claim the opposition lacks a strategy, Gachagua declared that the opposition’s main goal is to remove Ruto from office in 2027 in order to “root out corruption and other vices” in the current administration.
He vowed to campaign aggressively to ensure that the Mt Kenya leaders he accuses of betrayal are not re-elected in the 2027 General Election.
“You will face the wrath of the people from Mt Kenya come 2027,” he warned.
On the issue of those killed in the protests, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called for the compensation of the families affected.
During the 62nd Madaraka Day Celebrations at Raila Odinga stadium in Homa Bay, Odinga urged President William Ruto’s administration to facilitate the recompensing of the affected families to foster peace in the nation.
He said that the apologies given by political leaders during the National Prayer Breakfast,led by President Ruto, only served as the genesis of making amends with the Kenyan youth and their families.
“It is wonderful as a first step to reconciliation. But then there are people who were injured and others died. I want to say that we should do compensation to families of those who died and those injured so that we can have closure to this chapter of our national history,” Odinga noted.
“We want Kenyans to live in peace and unity.”
Odinga maintained that Kenya’s progress since gaining independence has been anchored on unity, and leadership should remain keen on upholding the same spirit for the nation’s posterity.
President Ruto’s apology to the youth, who have maintained a sour relationship with his administration since the protests, came as he said that Kenya is on a path of “rising and rebuilding”.
“To our children, if there is any misstep, we apologise. We want to build a relationship that will make our country great,” Ruto stated.
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