Kiambu residents have pointed an accusing finger at Limuru Member of Parliament John Kiragu following former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s attack at a funeral in Ngarariga, Limuru, Kiambu County.
Kiragu, a staunch supporter of President William Ruto, reportedly avoided the VIP tent and instead chose to sit among the commoners.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, November 27, after the incident, the locals speculated that his actions were intentional with some hinting that Kiragu might have anticipated the commotion.
“He came and declined to sit in the VIP section and sat in the wrong tent. We became suspicious and knew there would be a possible commotion during the burial ceremony,” said one of the locals.
According to the locals, the well-orchestrated attack was a scheme by Ruto allies to undermine Gachagua’s growing influence in the Mt Kenya region.
However, in his defence, Kiragu dismissed the allegations, stating that he also attacked during the melee.
According to him, if he had intended to plot the attack against the former Deputy President, he would not have attended the ceremony. He further added that his vehicle also sustained damage during the incident.
“If I had plotted the attack then I could have easily defended myself. I was beaten and my vehicle and property were destroyed,” Kiragu explained.
Meanwhile, politicians close to Gachagua have since pointed an accusing finger at Ruto’s allies for orchestrating the violence. Addressing journalists at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Kiambu, Senator Karungo Wa Thang'wa termed the attack as an assassination attempt on the former DP.
According to Nyandarua Senator John Methu, had Gachagua not been evacuated using the right side of his vehicle's back seat, he could have sustained serious injuries.
"I will not say Rigathi Gachagua is okay, I would say he is lucky to be alive today. If you look at the young men who followed him to his vehicle, had he not been evacuated using the right hand of the back seat, he certainly would have been hurt badly," Methu said.
During the incident that took place on Thursday afternoon moments before Gachagua's speech, several people sustained injuries with property of unknown value destroyed including vehicles and plastic chairs.
