DCI probe Gachagua office over alleged link to Gen Z protests

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (left). Seven officials at his office were grilled by DCI. [File, Standard]

The onslaught against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has taken a dramatic twist after seven officials at his office were grilled by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in connection to the protests that have rocked the country.

After a month of Gen Z protests across the country, DCI officers have zeroed in on some top officials they suspect to have spent at least Sh50 million in financing the demonstrations which led to the breach of Parliament and other key institutions.

The Standard has established that for the last week, DCI officials have grilled seven officials working at the DP office for alleged involvement in aiding the protests by providing cash to some of the youths.

Among those who have been investigated include an official at Gachagua's Karen office and a former MP working as an adviser and three other staff.

They had earlier been summoned to appear at DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road but the detectives opted to drive to DP's office in Karen since the officials said they were busy.

A source at the DP's office said that the investigations began a week ago and the detectives seemed to have narrowed down on three officials.

"We were grilled separately, and you were summoned from the DCI headquarters and questioned privately, this has been ongoing for over a week now," said an official who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The source said that the DCI officers were keen on cash transactions that have been done by the officials at Gachagua's office.

The investigations by the DCI according to the source is hinged on the fact that whereas the first two protests by the Gen Zs were organic, the subsequent ones were infiltrated by some top leaders for political reasons.

DCI officers confided in the official that they had been briefed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) that there was massive funding for the demonstrations.

The source said that the DCI officers were keen to find out the DP office's involvement in the protests in Nairobi, Kirinyaga and Nyeri which they believe were sponsored.

Another official at the DP's office who also sought anonymity said that the DCI wanted to establish the trips they had made out of the country and the reasons.

"They wanted to know trips we had made out of the country and the reasons for each flight within the period of the demonstrations," said the source and a confidant of the DP.

The investigation on the role of Gachagua's office in the demonstrations came weeks after the DP publicly blamed NIS Director General Noordin Haji for the nationwide protests and called for his resignation saying he should be held accountable for the lives lost.

Gachagua labelled Haji as the weakest link in the Kenya Kwanza administration.

The DP claimed that NIS failed to adequately inform the president about the widespread opposition to the Finance Bill 2024.

He accused NIS of being dysfunctional and alleged their involvement in abducting protesters. Gachagua claimed that Haji was an incompetent civil servant who misled Ruto with incorrect intelligence briefs.

“It is embarrassing that it had to take protests, deaths, and destruction of property for the president to realise the extent of the problem. NIS embarrassed the president,” he said.

The grilling of officers came five days after Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri alleged that the June 25, 2024 invasion of Parliament was financed by a government-affiliated office.

In an interview on Inooro TV, Kiunjuri claimed that four MPs from the Mt Kenya region organised about 25,000 people to protest in the Nairobi Central Business District. 

He claimed that Gen Z had their version of "Occupy Parliament," but there were people who were allegedly paid to attempt to overthrow the government.

“The office that funded the protests is known by the government. A pig fries itself with its own fat,” he said, without naming the four MPs allegedly involved.

He said that the anti-government protests were primarily concentrated in the Mt. Kenya region.

“It was the first time seeing protests infiltrate smaller towns such as Nyeri and Nanyuki. In other regions, like Rift Valley, protests occurred in towns like Eldoret but not in the interior parts of the region,” he said

In Kisumu, Kiunjuri noted that the protests were limited to Migori, whereas in Mt Kenya, the protests were widespread.

“We burnt our own people’s property,” he lamented.

On Monday, the President accused a few people who he did not name, of organizing protests and causing death to pursue their selfish interests and vowed to defend the Constitution.

“We will never allow a few people to cause mayhem, anarchy, destroy property, burn down government buildings. We must stand together as Kenyans to defend our democracy and to defend our nation. Kenya is a democratic country where Kenyans decide their leadership right from MCA to the President, the leadership of this country is not decided on violence, social media, protests, chaos and deaths but on the basis of democracy,” he said in Kwale.

However, Gachagua’s allies have defended him saying that associating him with the Gen Z protests was only a ploy to introduce the grounds of impeachment.

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga said: “There have been attempts to associate the DP and those who support him with the Gen Z protests. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those UDA/Kenya Kwanza leaders visiting media stations to make such wild allegations should be summoned by DCI to shed more light on their allegations.”

Kiambu Senator Karungo Thangwa said: “Kiunjuri claimed that a section of Mt Kenya people was trying to overthrow the government and that is tantamount to preparing the grounds of impeaching Gachagua.”