Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has sharply criticized President William Ruto’s government, accusing it of allegedly supporting the rise of criminal gangs while simultaneously sending Kenyan police officers abroad to combat gangs in Haiti.
Speaking during a TikTok livestream on Thursday, Gachagua expressed disbelief over the irony of sending security forces to address criminal activity abroad while allegedly fostering such gangs at home to intimidate opposition voices.
“It doesn’t make sense to send your security forces to fight gangs in another country while, back home, the government is using resources to revive these very gangs,” Gachagua remarked.
The former deputy president, who was ousted from Ruto’s government in October 2023 through an impeachment motion, also condemned what he described as government efforts to silence critics, referencing recent cases of young Kenyans allegedly abducted by individuals believed to be linked to security forces.
He lamented the government’s actions, saying, “This administration has sunk very low. Even the British colonialists never went after our children.
I feel very sorry that I was part of a government that has turned against its people.”
Gachagua emphasized that any government unable to ensure the security of its citizens has no right to hold power, and also praised the creativity of Kenyan youth, who, he claimed, have taken up the role of the opposition after Ruto incorporated key opposition figures into his administration.
Additionally, Gachagua called on the international community to pressure Ruto’s government to reconstitute the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
With the government officials’ recent statements, he warned that the absence of the IEBC could signal troubling intentions, referencing a comment by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, a close ally of Ruto, who suggested that the government would take any measures necessary to ensure Ruto’s re-election in 2027, including potentially manipulating the voting process.
Nearly two years after the resignation of the previous IEBC commissioners, the country has yet to appoint new representatives, stalling crucial electoral processes such as the delimitation of electoral boundaries, which should have been completed last year.
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