Former Deputy President and DCP Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua has condemned the government's response to Wednesday's Gen Z-led protests, accusing President William Ruto’s regime of orchestrating violence against peaceful demonstrators.
In a statement on Thursday, June 26, Gachagua denounced the use of excessive force and live bullets by the police on peaceful and unarmed protesters.
"In the strongest terms possible I condemn the use of excessive force and live bullets by the Police on peaceful and unharmed Gen-Z protesters witnessed yesterday across the country.
"Intimidating the peaceful and young demonstrators who were only remembering their slain colleagues in the struggle only complicates the matter on you and your rogue regime, Mr. Ruto," he said
Gachagua linked the protests to unfulfilled government promises, pointing directly at the president.
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"The cause of the Gen-Z protests is well-known by the Government and every Kenyan; Mr. Ruto, you know you promised our young people jobs and economic liberation. You know what you have delivered to them and their parents," he said.
Gachagua further accused the government of deploying organized gangs to infiltrate the protests with the intent to discredit the demonstrators.
"Last week, during the protests over the brutal murder of Mr. Albert Ojwang, Mr. Ruto and the Nairobi Governor organized goons to beat up the peaceful demonstrators in Nairobi, but yesterday you changed tactics, where goons were instructed to loot and destroy property," he claimed.
Gachagua claimed that police intentionally allowed looters into urban areas to wreak havoc and then shift blame to the protestors.
He further alleged that in Nairobi, businesses belonging to individuals from a certain ethnic region were deliberately targeted for destruction.
"Mr. Ruto, you are well aware that under your instructions, Genuine Gen-Z protestors were blocked in their thousands on Kiambu road and Thika road, where no businesses were looted. Your police allowed goons into town at their expense to go and cause mayhem and place the blame on the GenZs.
"We have credible information that in Nairobi, especially the downtown region, businesses belonging to people from a certain region were clearly identified by officials from the County Government of Nairobi and elsewhere, this brutal exercise was led by politicians allied to this rogue regime," he said.
Further, Gachagua accused the government of deliberately switching off TV signals so as to allow goons loot and destroy properties.
"The government deliberately switched off the signals of major National TV stations in an orchestrated scheme to have state-sponsored goons loot and destroy property under police protection," he alleged.
Gachagua also dismissed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s claim that the protests were a Kikuyu uprising, calling the statement misinformed and profiling.
"We have seen the CS for Interior pretentiously visiting shops that were looted by state-sponsored goons in an attempt to hide his guilt. Mr. Murkomen, Kenyans are not fools.
"We have listened to a misinformed statement from the CS Interior Mr. Murkomen profiling the Kikuyu Community that this protest was a Kikuyu Uprising. Yet the CS is well aware that the Gen-Zs were against corruption, extrajudicial killings, abductions and anarchy. This is not the first time this statement is coming from Kipchumba Murkomen. I wish to remind you that this community you are profiling, voted for you to a man and gave life to this regime," he added.
Gachagua also called out attempts to blame the unrest on opposition politicians, further comparing the Gen Z protesters to past generations who resisted the colonialists and stood strong against the Moi regime.
"We have further seen futile and insensitive efforts by government propagandists run outdated narratives of a blame on patriotic politicians who have stood with Kenyans; please, give us a break.
"Mr. Ruto, the Kenyans you are targeting to intimidate are indefatigable; they resisted the colonialists for a long time and defeated them; Kenyans stood strong against the Moi brutality for 24 years and lived on. The 2 years of your regime will be over and they will stand strong again. I urge resilience among the people and a strong spirit to correct the wrongs we made in 2022," he stated.
Gachagua insisted the protests were self-driven, not funded or directed by politicians as it has been widely claimed.
"You are well aware that the Gen-Zs do not require any financing or being led in their cause unless you would want to believe in your own lies and cheap propaganda," he noted.
In conclusion, Gachagua announced he had suspended a scheduled media briefing in Embu and postponed weekend engagements out of respect for the protest victims.
“It is in solidarity with the young people who lost their lives yesterday and the business community who have lost billions of shillings due to the deafness of this rogue regime that I have stood down my today's media briefing with the media houses of Embu Region and further cancelled my weekend public engagement with the people of Embu County to a later date,” he concluded.
