'His anger now threatens the nation,' Ichung'wah says of Gachagua

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wa at the meeting room at Bomas of Kenya on August 09, 2023. [File, Standard]

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah has claimed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's anger is no longer a personal matter, warning it now threatens to poison the nation.

In a statement, Ichung'wah dismissed Gachagua's claims that the government deployed hit squads to kill protesters, challenging him to present any evidence to investigative agencies instead of spreading lies.

"Let it also be known to Gachagua that if he has even an iota of evidence to back his wild allegations, he is free, just like every other Kenyan, to submit it to investigative agencies but we will not allow him to weaponise lies to cleanse himself while dragging others into his abyss," Ichung'wah noted in a statement on Wednesday, July 9.

He argued that Gachagua's anger over the arrests of his allies reflected panic over lies that had turned against him, adding that the former deputy president should prepare legal defences for his allies in court, not for the cameras.

"Let him prepare their defence for the courts, not for cameras," Ichung'wah explained.

Gachagua had claimed the government deployed over 101 hit men to kill protesters during the Saba Saba demonstrations and accused President William Ruto of using the terrorism act to profile the Kikuyu community.

Ichung'wah warned that such allegations risk destabilising the country, accusing Gachagua of using the community as a shield to pursue personal battles.

"We will not sit back and watch as criminals pose as martyrs. We will not watch as men with no respect for law and order seek to ignite a nation into anarchy in pursuit of personal vendettas," Ichung'wah observed.

He urged Gachagua to stop using repeated lies and propaganda to revive what he described as a collapsing political career, arguing that the destruction and deaths witnessed during recent protests were tied to a scheme to push the country into chaos.

"His downfall was brewed in his pot by his politics of lies, intimidation and calculated chaos. His anger is no longer his alone to carry; it now threatens to poison the very soul of our nation," Ichung'wah added.