Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua ignored an invitation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to seek clarification over allegations he made about purported attempts on his life.
Instead, the ruling UDA deputy party leader was at the Milimani Law Courts for a case he had filed to challenge his ouster.
DCI had said, in their letter to Gachagua on Monday, this was a move to seek clarification from Gachagua.
“This is not a summon but a move to have him clarify the claims he made,” said an official aware of the developments.
The DCI and some government officials felt Gachagua would get away with too much if his allegations were left unchallenged and he would fly with them, politically at least. This prompted the move by the detectives to summon him for what they termed as clarification.
Gachagua was supposed to appear before the DCI headquarters at Kiambu Road on Tuesday, 22 October, the same day the three-judge bench constituted by Chief Justice Martha Koome to hear petitions challenging his ouster by parliament were to be heard.
A team which had been put on standby to wait for him to take his statement insisted they wanted him to help them investigate the claims.
Gachagua, speaking on Sunday after he was discharged from the Karen Hospital in Nairobi where he was admitted on Thursday as Senators were voting to oust him, claimed there were two assassination attempts on his life. This was before impeachment was tabled in Parliament. “I don’t feel safe. On 30 August 2024, undercover cover police agents in Kisumu entered my room and one of them tried to poison my food but we detected it and we were able to escape. I was supposed to be killed through poisoning,” he told a press conference, adding his security had been withdrawn, exposing him to untold risks.
“On 3 September 2024 in Nyeri, National Intelligence Service officers came to Nyeri and tried to poison food belonging to me and Kikuyu elders. I reported the matter to NIS and asked the officers assigned to my office to leave. After attempts to assassinate me failed, this impeachment motion was hatched.”
In their letter, the DCI reproduced some of Gachagua’s statements when he publicly stated that there had been multiple assassination attempts on his life.
“You were quoted saying, 30 August in Kisumu, undercover security agents entered my room, bugged it, and one of them tried to poison my food. We detected it and were able to escape the scheme. I was supposed to be killed by food poisoning,” read the DCI letter.
“You went further to state, “On 3 September , 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.
“These are serious allegations emanating from a person of your stature and cannot be taken lightly. In light of the seriousness of this matter, we kindly request your presence on 22 October 2024 at the DCI Headquarters, Mazingira Complex-Kiambu Road, to formally record your statement to enable prompt and thorough investigations into the matter.”
The sleuths explained the police understand the sensitivity of the allegations and assured Gachagua the matter will be handled with the seriousness it deserves.
“Your statement is a crucial component of our investigation.”
Gachagua accused President William Ruto of betrayal, saying he did not know the Head of State “could be that vicious” and added that he was shocked by how a man he “helped to be President… believed in” could turn against him.
Ruto has not commented on Gachagua’s impeachment since its motion was moved and has not addressed the ousted DP’s Sunday allegations, either.
“If anything happens to me or my family President Ruto must be held to account.”
