The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has broken its silence on the chaos that threatened to derail a church event attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Sunday, March 6.
In a detailed statement released on Monday, April 7, the DCI appeared to contradict Gachagua's earlier remarks, where the former DP faulted security agencies for what he termed as a deliberate disregard of their mandate to provide security, specifically during events attended by him.
The DCI specifically referenced the incident at the PCEA church in Mwiki, in which they claimed there was no prior communication regarding the planned attendance of political dignitaries at the church service.
"The Mwiki police command has stated that the church failed to notify the police of the planned function, which included political leaders, and therefore, no advance security measures were deployed to handle such an eventuality,” the statement read in part.
Regardless, the DCI revealed that investigations 'have been launched to uncover the root cause and motive behind the disruption.'
While confirming the presence of goons at Gachagua's event, the DCI revealed that the local authorities reported at least a hundred motorcycles ferrying passengers arriving at the church where Gachagua was in attendance.
According to the DCI, "Police at Mwiki Police Station heard gunshots at the church grounds and were mobilised to repulse the goons, who retreated, and normalcy returned. Several of them, alongside 10 abandoned motorcycles, were detained at the Mwiki station."
The DCI also confirmed that the gunshots that were fired at the event to repel the goons were fired by members attached to Gachagua's security detail.
In the wake of the incident, Gachagua, alongside his allies, was adamant the attack was orchestrated by allies of President William Ruto through Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, as he faulted his former employer for taking political scores to church. Neither Ruto nor Sakaja has responded to the claims.
"My President. What happened to you? In a church? You have reached a different level. You sent me goons in Limuru last week, you sent goons to Nyeri, and now you've sent them to church. You have become bold," the former deputy president lamented on Sunday.
Gachagua also accused the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Kenya Police Service of being under specific instructions not to provide security to any of his events.
In their statement, the DCI warned members of the public against unruly conduct, especially during community events
