DCI Summons Gachagua Over Allegations of Assassination Plot

Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has come under scrutiny after alleging that President William Ruto and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) are plotting to assassinate him.

Gachagua made these claims on Sunday upon his discharge from Karen Hospital, where he was admitted last week due to an illness that coincided with a Senate vote approving his impeachment by the National Assembly.

“The president wants to take me down the same path as President Daniel Arap Moi did with Kenneth Matiba, who was pushed to the point of a stroke and eventually died,” Gachagua asserted, expressing concerns that Ruto is similarly attempting to “cripple” him.

During his hospital release, Gachagua voiced fears for his safety, stating, “Leave me alone, my brother President William Ruto. I can’t believe you are the man I helped to become president.”

In response to his serious allegations, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has summoned Gachagua to provide a formal statement. “These are serious allegations emanating from a person of your stature and cannot be taken lightly,” the DCI stated, requesting his presence at their headquarters on October 22 to facilitate prompt and thorough investigations.

Gachagua recounted two alleged assassination attempts while in office, claiming he does not feel safe. He described the first incident, which he says occurred on August 30 in Kisumu, where undercover agents allegedly entered his hotel room. “They bugged my room, and one of them tried to poison my food, but we detected it and escaped the scheme,” he claimed. “I was supposed to be killed through poisoning.”

He further alleged a second attempt on September 30 in Nyeri during a meeting with the Kikuyu Council of Elders, where he claimed another NIS team tried to poison food meant for him and the elders. Following these incidents, Gachagua reported the matter to the NIS and requested the removal of his security detail due to safety concerns.

Currently contesting his impeachment in court, Gachagua stated that the motion against him was initiated after the alleged assassination attempts. “After the two attempts to assassinate me failed, that is when this impeachment motion was hatched,” he asserted.

He also noted feeling vulnerable after the withdrawal of his security detail during his hospitalization. Gachagua expressed concerns about NIS officers lurking around the hospital, saying, “Officers from the NIS have been hovering in every room, in every compound here.” Out of fear for his safety, he called his wife and children to stay with him in the hospital.

In an appeal to President Ruto, Gachagua expressed his frustration: “I helped you become president. Leave me and my children alone. Do whatever you want, but let me live and take care of my children.”