A vehicle with shattered windscreen following chaos during a church service attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at PCEA Mwiki on April 6, 2025.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called on the international community to closely monitor what he described as a rapidly deteriorating security environment in Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election, accusing the government of orchestrating violence to intimidate opponents.
Speaking during an interview on Kameme TV on Monday, Mr Gachagua also accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of failing in its mandate, saying it had become “submissive” in the face of State-backed hooliganism.
A December 4, 2025, report by the Election Observation Group stated that the November 27 by-elections were marred by violence, voter bribery, political interference and widespread breaches of ballot secrecy.
A vehicle with shattered windscreen following chaos during a church service attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at PCEA Mwiki on April 6, 2025.a
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon also told a stakeholder forum to review the by-elections that the use of goons to intimidate voters and commission officials were reported during the elections.
“The commission is proving that it lacks the capacity to midwife a free and fair General Election,” Mr Gachagua said.
He urged international observers to keep a close watch on political developments in Kenya, warning that the country was being pushed towards civil unrest.
“The government is deliberately building momentum for civil strife ahead of 2027. It is unleashing goons and rogue police officers to attack citizens, even in places of worship,” he said, accusing the presidency and security agencies of normalising violence in the electoral process.
According to Mr Gachagua, the government had gained notoriety for using gangs, backed by police officers, to intimidate opposition leaders and supporters.
He dismissed claims by government allies that the opposition was orchestrating violence to win sympathy votes, calling the narrative “illiterate, nonsensical and dangerous”.
“They claim we are attacking ourselves to gain sympathy. Who owns tear gas? Who controls uniformed and armed police officers moving around in official patrol vehicles? If we were staging violence, why aren’t we being arrested and charged?” he asked.
A vehicle with shattered windows pictured following chaos that erupted during a church service attended by Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at PCEA Mwiki on April 6, 2025.
Mr Gachagua said even President William Ruto had publicly acknowledged the presence of political goons, making the government’s denial untenable.
“When uniformed police officers are seen walking hand in hand with goons armed with crude weapons, even a person of below-average intelligence can tell who is behind the violence,” he said.
Read: ‘My life is in danger,’ Rigathi Gachagua says after police attempt to block his Kirinyaga tour
He accused President Ruto of reneging on a pledge not to use security agencies to manage politics.
“I have personally been attacked more than 15 times, and not a single suspect has been arrested. People in Mt Kenya are now vowing to defend themselves,” he said.
Announcing plans to hold a 60-day series of rallies across the Mt Kenya region in February and March, Mr Gachagua warned matatu owners whose vehicles are allegedly being used to ferry goons in the Mt Kenya region.
The former DP alleged that violence was being used to fragment anti-incumbent voting blocs and create fear-driven voter apathy to enable the government to retain power.
Police block former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's convoy in Sagana, Kirinyaga County, on January 9, 2026.
Mr Gachagua drew the attention of the international community to what he described as the capture of the National Police Service by political interests.
“Ground-level officers cannot act independently because the top leadership of the service is compromised,” he said.
He warned that the 2027 elections would not follow past patterns.
“This will not be business as usual. Intimidation will not work. Kenya is not Tanzania, and the international community must take seriously the fact that the country is being pushed towards civil strife,” he said.
At the same time, Mr Gachagua dismissed claims that the November 27 by-elections were proof of government popularity. “That was only a small dance before the main dance of 2027. Don’t dance yourself lame before the real contest,” he said.
He rejected claims that DCP is tribal, saying its recent electoral performance disproved that narrative. The seven-month old party fielded candidates in five contests, won three and finished second in two. He noted that DCP won in Kisa East Ward in Khwisero, about 600 kilometres from Mt Kenya, and that most of its candidates were not from his community.
“The only candidate from my community won in Kariobangi North, a cosmopolitan ward in Nairobi,” he said.
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