A meeting attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies in Nyandarua County on Saturday, December 28 was briefly disrupted after an unidentified person lobbed a teargas cannister which went off a few meters from where the former DP was seated together with other leaders.
Gachagua accused Police of being behind the disruption witnessed during the thanksgiving event for Shamata Ward Member of County Assembly Gitau Njamba.
He was yet to address the congregation when the unidentified man in civilian clothes struck.
The incident happened when Nyandarua Senator John Methu was addressing the crowd before the man in civilian clothes who was sitting quietly in the tent threw the teargas canister.
Moments later, the canister went off prompting Senator Methu to cut short his speech while the live streaming was also interrupted.
A bodyguard intercepted the canister within a few meters of Gachagua, as other aides quickly shielded him and escorted him to his car which was parked about 10 meters from the podium.Â
Following the resumption of the meeting, Gachagua said that Police officers were behind the melee and pleaded with them to uphold the rule of law.
“I want to tell our officers, please, right now you’re saying that the civilian threw teargas at us. Where did they get it from? You came here pretending to ensure security, yet you’re throwing teargas at people,” he said.
He added, “These acts of disrupting meetings have been passed by time.”
Meeting attended by Gachagua and allies in Nyandarua disrupted
Photos seen by The Kenya Times captured the chaotic scene at the venue, where chairs were strewn across the ground, creating a disordered landscape.
Also Read:Â Gachagua Addresses Ruto on the Wave of Abductions Targeting Critics
The crowd was also seen milling around in confusion and fear, as tensions ran high.
The disruption came amid rising unrest with suspected Police officers believed to have stormed the meeting causing panic among the attendees.
Another video showed residents chasing away uniformed Police officers who were at the venue. Gunshots rang out, echoing through the air, further heightening the chaos.
The man who allegedly threw the canister at Gachagua was seriously injured in the commotion but was rescued by the officers who took him to their vehicle.
The heavily armed officers were forced to flee the scene and drove back to their station after the residents who were in pursuit overwhelmed them.
However, order was eventually restored as former DP Gachagua and his allies stepped up to address the congregants, calming the situation.
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Kiambu attack
The incident comes a month after the former second in command was forced to flee from an irate mob that stormed a burial ceremony that he was attending in Kiambu County.
Gachagua’s personal vehicle was on November 28 stoned, and the rear window smashed as several mourners suffered injuries when he and some of his allies were attending the burial ceremony of Erastus Nduati at Bibirioni village, Limuru Constituency.
Also Read:Â Gachagua Reveals Who Attacked Him in Limuru
The former DP was yet to address mourners when the youths struck, first attempting to bring down the tent under which he was seated.
Former Limuru Member of Parliament Peter Mwathi was on the podium when the microphone went off.
The youths had earlier on twice attempted to disrupt the function, but the clergy ensured the event proceeded uninterrupted.
It was when Mwathi started disparaging those opposed to Gachagua that chaos erupted. He had started mentioning the former DP’s political strategy for 2027, when someone switched off the public address system.
Then the goons rushed to the tent where Rigathi was seated and dismantled it. His security swiftly shielded him, led him to his vehicle and drove off.
The former second in command while addressing the incident alleged a deliberate plan to harm him and described the attack as a “well-planned attempt on his life.”
In an interview with NTV on December 1, Gachagua made the allegations citing the lack of uniformed police officers and the withdrawal of his security detail a week before.
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