My life is in danger, Gachagua claims as he leaves hospital

Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua with his wife, Dorcas. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says his life is in danger.

Gachagua made the revelation to Kenyans on Sunday afternoon, shortly after being discharged from Karen Hospital where he was admitted with chest pains on Sunday.

While addressing journalists at the hospital, Gachagua alleged that there were two assassination attempts on him in Kisumu and Nyeri.

" On August 30, while I was in Kisumu, there was an assassination attempt on me after my food was poisoned. Gladly, we found out early enough. The second time was in Nyeri where I was meeting the Kikuyu Council of elders," Gachagua said.

The former Mathira MP says he fears for his life, adding that if anything befell him, his former ally would be responsible.

Gachagua has also disclosed that while he was undergoing treatment, his security was withdrawn at the hospital, in his Karen and Nyeri homes, staff sent on compulsory leave and some vehicles repossessed on Saturday night.

He claims there were efforts to bar him from attending Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kwale Stadiums as Wilson Airport and helicopter operators were directed so.

"For now my health comes first. While I was here Ruto ordered withdrawal of my security here, in Nyeri and Karen. Officers close to me were disarmed. I did not know Ruto can be that vicious, a man I helped become president. How cruel can he be?

I bear no grudge. I had not seen that in Ruto, the man am seeing is not the man I thought I knew," Gachagua expressed his disappointment.

According to Gachagua, the impeachment motion was a political witch hunt aimed at removing him from the picture.

"The 11 counts were nothing. I should have been given time and heard. Why the hurry when there was no timeline? The impeachment was a political game by President William Ruto to get rid of me. The way I see it he did not intend to work with me he used me for my mobilisation capacity to win elections," he said.