Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has alleged that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua played a role in the invasion of Parliament by demonstrators on June 25, 2024.
Duale while speaking in an interview on NTV on Wednesday, February 27, claimed that Gachagua was responsible for sponsoring goons who infiltrated genuine protests led by the Gen Zs, to invade Parliament.
The CS who was in charge of the Ministry of Defence back then further accused the former second in command of plotting to overthrow the government.
“When my good friend Riggy G praises Gen Zs, he is the same guy who brought goons who wanted to burn Parliament, the Supreme Court, who wanted to burn Harambee House. Those three buildings are the center, the epitome and the symbol of the three arms of the government. Riggy G brought the goons,” he said.
He further accused Gachagua, who was impeached last October, of holding the press conference in Mombasa “having been aware that the NIS had a report on his involvement” in the June 25th protests.
Duale accuses Gachagua of sponsoring goons to burn down Parliament
When asked why no one is yet to be held accountable for committing treason through trying to overthrow the government, Duale argued that such cases take time to probe.
“Why do you think the Deputy President of Kenya who sits in the National Security Council can go to Mombasa and disparage the National Intelligence Service (NIS)?” he posed.
“Investigations of such nature take time, the people of Dusit (terror attack) are yet to be charged, the ones of Westgate (terror attack) were charged how many years later? The ones of Garissa University (terror attack) were charged how many years later? Four or five years. Investigators must have solid evidence to prove that someone has done this and this to the prosecutor and the judge, so you wait.”
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Last September, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) approved charges against five politicians allied to Gachagua over alleged links to last year’s demos.
The prosecution said there was “sufficient evidence” to charge the five with soliciting or inciting others, conspiracy to commit a felony, and money laundering.
The five included Members of Parliament (MPs) Benjamin Gathiru (Embakasi Central), James Gakuya (Embakasi North), George Theuri (Embakasi West), former Nyeri Town MP Wambugu Ngunjiri, and Gachagua’s private secretary, Pius Munene.
Gachagua at the time dismissed the charges as politically instigated, saying President William Ruto and some members of his Cabinet were using the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the DPP’s office to “soil my name and hopefully create grounds for the mooted impeachment proceedings against me.”
Gachagua denies any involvement in the demos
Earlier in February, the former DP also denied any involvement in the protests.
Rigathi in a joint interview with Mulembe FM, Vuuka FM and Sulwe FM accused his then-boss, President Ruto, of linking him to the demos as part of a ploy to kick him out of office.
He further maintained that he fully supports Kenyan youth, whom he described as a powerful factor in the 2027 general election and urged them to register as voters.
“When the Gen Z uprising began, Ruto already wanted me out of his government. He summoned his people and told them I was mobilising the youth because he could not explain why he was fighting me,” he told journalists.
“They teamed up and began accusing me of organizing and financing the protests. I did not do any of that; if anything, if those good children had requested me to be their leader, I would have happily done it.”
The 2024’s deadly protests forced President Ruto to, among other things, withdraw the controversial Finance Bill 2024 which proposed tax hikes and disband his Cabinet.
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