NAIROBI — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused the Kenyan government of complicity in an armed attack on his convoy in Nakuru, alleging police stood by as assailants wielding axes and rocks targeted his motorcade.
The incident occurred on August 14 at Kaptembwa in Nakuru Town West Constituency, ahead of scheduled public engagements in the Rift Valley region. Gachagua said organized groups armed with crude weapons ambushed the convoy while law enforcement officers present at the scene did not intervene.
“Goons attacked our convoy at Kaptembwa, in Nakuru Town West Constituency, with axes, rocks and other crude weapons as police watched,” Gachagua said in a statement. He alleged the attackers were funded and directed by political figures aligned with the current administration.
The claims could not be independently verified at the time of publication. Gachagua said ordinary citizens and his supporters confronted the assailants and secured the convoy’s passage. He added that journalists traveling with the motorcade were also targeted.
“Luckily, wananchi repulsed these thugs and ensured our safety and that of the members of the 4th Estate who were also targeted,” he said.
The allegations follow President William Ruto’s public warnings that political violence and the use of hired gangs would not be tolerated. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has echoed similar commitments. Gachagua dismissed those pledges as “just another lie, the usual lip service and political posturing.”
He accused the administration of relying on intimidation to suppress political competition ahead of the 2027 General Election. “They think that the only way to stop competition after being abandoned by Kenyans is through the use of violence against opponents and the employment of goons,” Gachagua said.
The former deputy president warned that persistent political violence risks damaging Kenya’s reputation among tourists, foreign diplomats and investors. “Kenyans, tourists, all foreigners and international dignitaries in Kenya and investors have to accept that goonism is now a way of life,” he said, urging voters to use the next election to change the government.
Gachagua said supporters in Njoro, Molo and Rongai have pledged to provide security during his upcoming public meetings in those areas.
The exchange underscores escalating tensions between rival political camps as the country moves toward the next electoral cycle. Security agencies and political parties face mounting pressure to ensure campaign activities and public gatherings remain peaceful. Analysts say the credibility of law enforcement’s neutrality will be tested as accusations of state-sanctioned violence become a recurring feature of pre-election discourse.
