A distraught businessman in downtown Nairobi ponders on what next after his business was looted by goons during the June 25 Gen Z demonstrations. Photo/Ministry of Interior
By Newsflash Writer
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Thursday unleashed a blistering attack on President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of deploying brutal police force and sponsoring violence against Gen Z protesters during the June 25 demonstrations.
In a strongly worded statement, Gachagua condemned what he called the “goonish tendencies” of the state and warned of a deepening dictatorship under Ruto’s leadership.
Gachagua’s statement came just hours after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen characterized the previous day’s protests as “an attempted coup.” In stark contrast, the former DP sided firmly with the youth, saying their movement was peaceful, legitimate, and rooted in broken promises made by the Kenya Kwanza government.
“In the strongest terms possible, I condemn the use of excessive force and live bullets by the police on peaceful and unharmed Gen Z protesters,” said Gachagua. “These young people were simply remembering their slain colleagues, yet your rogue regime, Mr. Ruto, met them with violence.”
Gachagua accused the government of abandoning its promise of jobs and economic reforms, and instead turning on the very citizens who put it in office.
Claims of state-sponsored chaos and ethnic targeting
Gachagua alleged that the Ruto administration had shifted tactics from beating demonstrators to using hired goons to destroy property in order to smear the Gen Z movement. He claimed thousands of genuine protesters along Kiambu and Thika roads were blocked, while known criminals were escorted into central Nairobi to loot and vandalize under police protection.
“Mr Ruto, you know that your police allowed goons into town while blocking actual protesters. You wanted the Gen Zs blamed for chaos they didn’t cause,” he charged.
Read more: Ruto allies threaten to arrest Gachagua
He further claimed that businesses owned by members of a particular ethnic group—widely interpreted as the Kikuyu community—were deliberately marked out for destruction, under the supervision of Nairobi County officials and politicians allied to the regime.
“This was a targeted looting spree. We know that some businesses were untouched at night, only to be looted by morning. It was planned,” said Gachagua.
Gachagua did not hold back in accusing Murkomen of hypocrisy, saying his visit to looted shops was a cover-up for state-orchestrated destruction. He also took issue with Murkomen’s alleged profiling of the Kikuyu community by describing the protests as a “Kikuyu uprising.”
“This community voted for you overwhelmingly in 2022. Is this how you repay their support?” he asked.
Silencing the media
Gachagua decried the switching off of TV signals during the protests, accusing the government of trying to shield its actions from public scrutiny. He said state agents abducted, tortured, and even killed young people who dared to raise their voices.
“For a year now, this regime has waged a campaign of terror against the youth. You have shed their blood, gagged the media, and tried to drown them out—but they are louder now than ever,” he said.
He rejected the government’s claims that the youth are being funded by political forces, stating that the Gen Z movement is spontaneous, independent, and deeply patriotic.
“They need no financing. They do not require leadership. They are the future of this country—and they understand what is at stake more than you, Mr Ruto,” Gachagua said.
A warning on legacy
Gachagua warned President Ruto to think carefully about the legacy he is building.
“You have created a police state to suppress them, but they remain unbowed. Mr. Ruto, when the story of this era is written, consider very carefully what your legacy will be.”
In a show of solidarity with the victims of the protests and those who lost property, Gachagua announced the cancellation of his scheduled press briefing and public meetings in Embu County, saying it was not the time for political rhetoric but for national reflection.
Read more: Murkomen: Protesters targeted anti-Gachagua MPs in Mt Kenya
“I have stood down my media briefing with Embu media houses and postponed my weekend engagements in the county. We must first honour the lives lost and the businesses destroyed,” he said.
Gachagua urged resilience among Kenyans and called on the youth not to give up the fight.
“Kenyans stood strong against colonialism. They endured Moi’s brutality. They will survive your regime too, Mr. Ruto. The spirit of this country cannot be broken,” he declared
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