Gachagua Supporters Block Roads Over ‘Kill Order’ Allegations“
Raging street fires. Furious chants. Roads blocked. A political storm is brewing in central Kenya.
Supporters of ousted former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua unleashed a fiery revolt on Tuesday, torching highways and rallying en masse across Kirinyaga and Nyeri counties over shocking claims that the government wants him dead.
The protests ignited after Gachagua dropped a political bombshell: that President William Ruto allegedly gave chilling orders to “deal with him once and for all.”
“This is not just about Gachagua. This is about silencing dissent,” a protester shouted through a megaphone as smoke billowed behind him.
Protesters blocked major roads like the Mwea-Embu and Nyeri-Karatina highways with burning tires and debris, bringing traffic and trade to a standstill. Police later moved in with tear gas and batons to disperse the crowds.
In a fiery press briefing the day before, Gachagua claimed a covert squad of 101 officers from the National Police Service, General Service Unit, and National Intelligence Service had been deployed to a church service he was attending in Gatanga, Murang’a—allegedly on a deadly mission.
“If anything happens to me, Kenyans will know where to look,” he warned.
Even more alarming, Gachagua accused the state of plotting to plant illegal weapons in his vehicles and those of his allies in a bid to fabricate criminal charges.
Since his impeachment in October 2024, Gachagua has pivoted from loyal deputy to relentless critic of the Ruto administration, exposing what he describes as deep-seated rot, impunity, and authoritarianism in government.
“I will not be silenced. I will keep exposing the rot,” he vowed.
The political firestorm is reverberating far beyond Mount Kenya. Observers fear these escalating tensions could fracture the Kenya Kwanza coalition and cast a long shadow over the 2027 elections.
Human rights groups are now demanding an urgent, independent investigation into the alleged death threats, warning that political repression and the misuse of state machinery could spell danger for Kenya’s fragile democracy.
In other news: Kenyan Activists Threaten to Storm Tanzania in Daring Cross-Border Protest
Gachagua Supporters Block Roads Over ‘Kill Order’ Allegations“