- Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has denied any involvement in the attack on the church service attended by former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua
- The incident, which disrupted the Sunday morning service and caused worshipers to flee for safety, turned into a political blame game
- Kindiki answered Gachagua directly, denying the allegations as desperate and denying the claim that the man who was allegedly slapped was one of his bodyguards
- The vice president reiterated his longstanding stance against political violence, stressing that his politics is based on dialogue and compromise.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has denied allegations that he was involved in a violent attack on a church service attended by the former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua in Nyeri county.
Source: Facebook
Chaos broke out at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Witima in Othaya on Sunday, January 25, where Gachagua was attending the morning service.
How did Kindiki respond to Gachagua’s accusations?
Kindiki bristled at the contrast to his calm and reserved demeanor, dismissing the allegations as a desperate attempt to implicate him in the highly condemned events.
In a post shared on X on Monday, January 26, Kindiki addressed Gachagua directly, denying accusations that he had planned the violence.
Responding to a photo that Gachagua had circulated online, allegedly showing one of Kindiki’s bodyguards leading the raid, the vice president categorically denied any relationship with the man.
Kindiki argued that the violence seen in Nyeri was another desperate attempt by his ousted senior to implicate him in the unrest.
“Hello Wamitego. The picture you have surrounded is not of any officer or employee who works with me. I do not know who that is. I know you have a desire to associate me in any way with the crime you encountered. I’m sorry, you can’t find me here,” Kindiki said.
What is Kindiki’s position on political violence?
The country’s number two leader in the government repeatedly condemned political violence and distanced himself from such tactics.
He stressed that his political strategy focused on dialogue rather than force, adding that those responsible for the chaos should be held accountable.
Kindiki said that he will continue to condemn what he called the outdated behavior of using violence to do politics, regardless of political affiliation.
Source: Twitter
He reminded the leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) that he had many years of experience in politics and had never participated in such chaos.
“I condemned and I will continue to condemn the behavior of using violence to do politics, whether it is with people of notam, haftam, wantam or tutam. I do not use violence to do politics and I have been in politics longer than you. Instead, I use logic, persuasion and compromise. Please do your things, and do not invite me to a fight because our methods of doing things are not the same.”
Kindiki affirmed his position that whoever planned the violence needs to be punished before they do more harm to the country.
How did the attack on Gachagua proceed?
A strong response in Kindiki came after Gachagua publicly accuse him his successor to be part of what he called a ruse.
The incident itself continued in a shocking manner during the church service, with witnesses reporting that uniformed soldiers and masked people threw tear gas into the church premises.
There were also claims that live shots were fired, causing chaos as participants ran for safety.
Women and children were among the victims, some allegedly passed out from tear gas.
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