Democracy for Citizens party leader Rigathi Gachagua has sparked fresh concerns about how the state is handling dissenting voices, revealing that the government had planned to assassinate him upon his return from the United States.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Tuesday night, the former Deputy President alleged that the government had organised and attempted to assassinate him in Pipeline, Nairobi, minutes after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
According to Gachagua, the government had organised and deployed a police unit disguised as goons to engineer the plot, then shift the blame to the goons who had reportedly stormed his convoy around Cabanas on his return.
He detailed that the plan involved police strategically placed among the goons, so that in the event of the attack, the assassination would be blamed on goon violence.
Additionally, he alleged that police dropped a large object onto his car with the intent to cause harm; however, he said he was fortunate to escape unhurt.
The one-time parliamentarian revealed that he was forced to abandon the planned rally at Kamukunji based on the security risk assessment conducted by his team.
"There were civilian police on the ground and another team in the air in a civilian chopper, coordinating the operation. At one point, I was forced to abandon my plans to proceed to Kamukunji after assessing the situation, as there were also tens of youths armed with crude weapons waiting for me," Gachagua claimed.
Furthermore, Gachagua warned that such an outcome could have sparked civil strife, advising Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen against allowing such actions.
"The government organised to attack me; those were policemen in civilian clothes, accompanied by goons. They wanted to kill me at Pipeline, but I escaped death by a whisker. What Murkomen should know is that, if he had killed me, there would be no country; there would be a civil war," he added.
Escaped Arrest?
Before his arrival, Interior CS Murkomen had indicated that Gachagua would be summoned to explain his claims that the government was working with terror groups. However, Gachagua insisted that there were plans to arrest him at the airport.
According to him, were it not for the large number of supporters who turned up to receive him, the government would have arrested and detained him.
"When Murkomen threatened to arrest me, my supporters decided to come to the airport to make sure that I was safe. It was a family affair," he added.
The government is yet to respond to the allegations made by the former second-in-command.
