Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga confronted each other at the burial ceremony of freedom fighter Brigadier John Kiboko at his Ngorika home in Olkalou, Nyandarua County, escalating the tension between the two leaders.
During the Friday event, Raila, the Azimio party leader, refuted allegations propagated by Gachagua that he secretly met President William Ruto in Mombasa and hatched a deal that locked out other opposition co-principals specifically Kalonzo Musyoka, Wiper's party leader and former Vice President.
Gachagua's outbursts, according to Raila, were being guided by an underlying fear of the ongoing bipartisan talks overseen by the National Dialogue Committee.
He thus warned that the speculations created by Gachagua could easily fuel controversy and sow a seed of discord within the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition.
"Leave Kalonzo and Kimani Ichung'wah to talk. You, Ruto and I should stay out of the ongoing talks. There is nothing wrong with engaging in talks," Raila warned Gachagua.
Azimio settled on Kalonzo while Kenya Kwanza, the ruling coalition, chose Kimani Ichung'wah, the Kikuyu MP and National Assembly leader of the majority, to lead the talks.
One of the guidelines the team agreed on was to refrain from leaking the contents of the negotiations to the public, a directive Raila accused Gachagua of breaking.
"Every nation has problems, and Kenya is not an exemption. We have faced challenges before, but we have overcome them through talks that lead to a peaceful resolution," Raila reiterated his stance to engage the government in dialogue.
Gachagua, on August 22, claimed that Raila and Ruto met in Mombasa to discuss deals that would put an end to antigovernmental protests.
He also dismissed the ongoing bi-partisan talks between the Kenya Kwanza and Azimio coalitions, stating that nothing substantial would come out of the dialogue save for Raila's selfish interests.
In a rejoinder, the opposition leader added that he was not interested in sharing power with the current administration as he had already served as Prime Minister in the grand coalition government between 2008 and 2013.
With police accused of using extrajudicial force to quell protesters in the anti-government demonstrations organised by Azimio, Raila further asked Gachagua to reign in on the law enforcers and ensure they adhere to constitutionalism and the rule of law.
Concerning the death of Mau Mau veteran Brigadier John Kiboko, Raila claimed that Gachagua was unavailable to help his family in his utmost time of need.
According to Raila, the family sought Gachagua's help to raise Ksh600,000 to clear hospital bills, but the DP could not be easily accessed, prompting it to contact the former Prime Minister.
"I intervened when the Mau Mau veteran was rejected by the hospital in Nairobi because they could not raise Ksh600,000 that was needed for admission," Raila alleged.
"I called my doctor and instructed him to ensure that the Mau Mau veteran got admission. As a result of my intervention, the old man got admitted to the hospital," he added.
However, Gachagua dismissed the claims and stated that Mt Kenya governors, himself and President Ruto raised over Ksh5.5 million to aid Kiboko's family.
"It is true that you agreed to be his guarantor, but when he was admitted and the bill soared, you asked them to reach out to me," the DP hit back.
On his claims that Raila wanted Kalonzo locked out of the bipartisan talks, Gachagua toned down but deviated from openly acknowledging the former Prime Minister's criticism.
"The talks are fine. Ichung'wah and Kalonzo should talk, but we will not allow you to join our government because you will mess us up," Gachagua warned Raila.
He also refuted Raila's allegations that the State was using the police to injure civilians in retaliation to the opposition-led demonstrations. He assured that the State will protect its citizens, including the demonstrators.
Nonetheless, he publicly cautioned Raila that the government would not allow him to return to the streets to wreak havoc in the disguise of carrying out protests.
"We will not allow you to go back to protests that have led to destruction of property and loss of lives across the country. Somebody whom a black snake has bitten should run away even when they see a black pot. It's only good that I tell you in your face that we fear you.
"We fear you because you found when we were happy with our son, then made him to turn against us. Uhuru Kenyatta loved until both you had a handshake. Uhuru was my best buddy, but things changed when he collaborated with you," Gachagua warned.
