Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that he skipped the late Raila Odinga’s State funeral and burial because of what he describes as serious security threats targeting his life.
Speaking during an interview with iNooro TV on Sunday, Gachagua revealed that he had planned to attend the national funeral service at Nyayo Stadium but backed out after someone warned him about a plot to harm him. He alleged that the threats came from within government, and further claimed that authorities have ignored earlier incidents of violence and intimidation he says were orchestrated against him.
“The government had sent some hitmen to Limuru to kill me, and until today, they have not been arrested. Ruto himself had sent some hitmen to kill me in PCA Mwiki in April. Also, on my arrival from the USA, I was beaten by hired men and police officers in civilian clothing,” he stated.
According to Gachagua, some police officers privately urged him not to attend the funeral, warning that undercover operatives were planning an attack that would later be blamed on mourners from the Nyanza region. He claimed the intent was to spark hostility between the Gikuyu and Luo communities.
“Some police told me not to go because the government had planned to use some officers in civilian clothing to attack me, so that it may be said that people from the Nyanza region attacked me, so that the Gikuyu and Luos can be enemies,” the DCP leader said.
He added that he cancelled a scheduled visit to Bondo, alleging that senior government officials had planned a similar scheme there. Gachagua said he is familiar with what he called the administration’s tactics and refused to walk into a situation he believed was engineered to stoke ethnic tensions.
“I then said I would go to Bondo, and the official (PS Omolo) had arranged the same plan so that they could attack and kill me to trigger enmity between our communities. I know President Ruto’s administration very well, and I could not have allowed myself to fall into his trap,” he said.
Gachagua also insisted that even without the alleged threats, he would not have attended the funeral, saying he could not tolerate what he termed as insincerity from some leaders during the ceremony.
He accused President Ruto and several officials of pretending to praise Raila despite previously criticising him sharply. He singled out Kalonzo Musyoka as the only leader who spoke truthfully at the burial.
“Even if there were no threats, the lies told at the funeral State I couldn’t condone. Ruto was there pretending how Raila was good and crying, yet he used to tell us that Raila was a witch, and the nation’s problem, all lies.”
Gachagua at the same time explained that he had already honoured the former Prime Minister, whom he referred to as “a very important state leader.” He said he respected Raila’s long political journey, praising the ODM chief’s resilience and strong party organisation.
Gachagua noted that he hopes to build his own party, the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), with the same stability and longevity that ODM has enjoyed over the years.
“I would like to create a strong political party like ODM, for 20 years ODM has been a great party, and I would like to make DCP stronger than ODM. Second, I said I admire the way Raila chose his political leaders with high experience to stand for his party and the house,” he said.
