I Don't Buy Fear - Gachagua Fires Back at Murkomen After Arrest Warning

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed threats of arrest issued by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, insisting that he is not intimidated by such warnings.

Speaking on Sunday, August 10, Gachagua said fear of arrest has never been a factor in his decision-making and would not deter him from expressing his views.

"If the fear of arrest was part of my thinking, I would never do anything; I would just stay in the house. Every day they discuss me in the parliament for two hours and say they will arrest me. I just move on. I'm not a leader who buys fear. And as I have explained, I think Mukomen is lost," he said.

Gachagua went on to say that he is ready in the event authorities want to arrest him, even promising to reveal the exact time and flight details when he is set to return to the country.

"When my day to go to Kenya is due, I will announce the date, the hour, and the flight number so that who is interested in arresting me can go ahead and do it. If they want to arrest me I'm a Kenyan the courts are there; I'll go to court and if they have any charges against me they will prefer them," he added.

Gachagua recalled previous arrests before the current administration took power, saying they only strengthened his political resolve rather than weakening it.

"I was arrested many times before the new administration but I never changed my stand, in fact, it hardened my resolve. All those things they are doing, they are just hardening the resolve of our supporters and I want to tell them that you cannot use the criminal justice system to suppress the freedom of speech and expression. It is a very outdated practice that cannot work," he further said.

Speaking on Saturday, August 8, Murkomen said Gachagua will be required to record a statement with investigators immediately after returning from the US. 

Murkomen stated that Gachagua must explain his recent claims that he attended meetings with the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab.

He directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to ensure Gachagua is questioned upon arrival, insisting that anyone claiming to have information related to terrorism must share it with authorities without delay.

“I want to say, without fear of contradiction, because he has said that he has information and he knows, and that he has an agent who is holding meetings with Al-Shabaab, as soon as he lands in Kenya, he must record a statement to tell us exactly which meetings he is having with terrorists," he said.