Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that President William Ruto is trying to take him down a similar path to that of Kenneth Matiba under former President Daniel Moi.
Speaking to the media after being discharged from the hospital, Gachagua described his past year in office as extremely challenging and expressed concerns for his safety.
Gachagua alleged that his security detail had been withdrawn, leaving him and his family vulnerable. He warned that if anything happens to him, President Ruto should be held accountable.
“I want Kenyans to know that as I go home today, I have no security,” Gachagua said. “If anything happens to me or my family, President William Ruto should be held responsible.”
He further drew parallels between his impeachment and the treatment of Kenneth Matiba, a prominent politician who was detained under President Moi’s regime and later suffered a stroke.
“President Ruto wants to take me down the same road President Moi took Kenneth Matiba. He pushed Matiba to the point of getting a stroke, which eventually led to his death,” Gachagua claimed.
He said his only conflict with the president stemmed from his insistence on speaking the truth.
“My only problem with President Ruto was telling him the truth. I advised him not to overtax people and not to evict people without proper compensation.”
He claimed that there were two failed assassination attempts on his life before the impeachment plan was hatched.
He noted that the first attempt was in Kisumu at the end of August and the second attempt was in Nyeri just a few days later.
According to the former DP, he escaped the two assassination attempts because his team detected the poison. He noted that the second attempt was by the National Intelligence Service, which he reported.
“On August 30, in Kisumu, undercover security agents entered my room and bugged it and one of them tried to poison my food, but we detected it and were able to escape the scheme. I was supposed to be killed by food poisoning. “
“On September 3, 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.
“I did report this matter to the NIS and asked the officers assigned to my office to leave because I felt I was not safe. After the two assassination attempts failed, it is when this impeachment motion was hatched,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua also spoke about his sudden illness, recounting how he developed chest pains shortly after lunch while heading to his office. “I felt intense chest pain, sat down, but the pain persisted,” he said. After consulting Dr. Gikonyo, he was advised to go to the hospital immediately, where he was admitted for observation.
Despite the doctor recommending a longer stay for monitoring, Gachagua requested to be discharged so he could be treated at home, which is near the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Senate upheld Gachagua’s impeachment in his absence. Although the High Court temporarily suspended the implementation of the Senate’s decision, the matter remains unresolved. Justice Chacha Mwita stopped the appointment of Gachagua’s replacement and referred the case to Chief Justice Martha Koome to appoint a bench of judges to hear the case.
Gachagua’s legal team also obtained a court order halting the planned swearing-in of his successor.
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