Mandera Senator Ali Roba has called for the arrest of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of spreading falsehoods regarding President William Ruto's recent visit to Mandera County and the government's position on security vetting in Northern Kenya.
In a statement on Thursday, August 7, Roba called out Gachagua over what he described as reckless behavior, claiming the former DP had deliberately misled the public for political gain.
"It has come to our attention that Mr. Rigathi Gachagua has once again chosen to recklessly peddle blatant falsehoods in a desperate attempt to mislead the public for cheap political mileage," he said.
On claims that Ruto held secret meetings with undisclosed individuals during his visit to Mandera, Roba insisted that the president’s engagements were fully transparent and limited to official activities with local leaders and the general public.
"This claim is not just false it is a calculated, malevolent lie. As a leader who personally accompanied H.E. President William Ruto from the moment he landed in Mandera to the moment he departed, I affirm without fear of contradiction that the President only met officially recognized Mandera leaders and the public in open forums.
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"Every aspect of the President’s one-day itinerary was transparent and in the public domain. No private, backdoor, or suspicious meetings took place. The suggestion by Mr. Gachagua that the President met with unknown individuals is a shameful fabrication designed to sow division and confusion among the people," he said.
Roba also addressed Gachagua’s claim that the government had eliminated security vetting for Northern Kenya, calling it a gross misrepresentation of the Ruto's message.
"Mr. Gachagua’s assertion that the government has removed vetting is yet another deliberate distortion of facts. What President Ruto stated clearly in Mandera is that the discriminatory and excessive bureaucratic vetting that has for years been selectively imposed on communities in the Northern Frontier District (NFD) must end.
"The President emphasized that all Kenyans must be subjected to one uniform standard of vetting — fair, consistent, and constitutional — without stigmatization based on region or ethnicity," he added.
Roba has called on investigative agencies to act, saying that Gachagua must substantiate his claims or be held accountable.
"To twist this clear and just position into a false narrative of national insecurity is reckless, dishonest, and deeply disrespectful to the people of Northern Kenya who have suffered decades of systemic exclusion and profiling.
"The American Government must not fall for the dilutions and desperations for attention and favours using fabricated lies from Mr. Gachagua. DCI must do its job. The Honors is upon Gachagua to substantiate his claims with evidence or face the law. The burden of proof for all his lies with him," he concluded.
