Honest men? Dennis Itumbi’s elimination and Rigathi Gachagua’s other controversial claims
Controversy could as well be Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s middle name.
The 58-year-old second in command is known to shoot from the hip.
So much so that he has in the recent past consistently made controversial statements touching on the dealings of former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime.
Some of these claims are criminal in nature and remain unverified.
Here’s a few.
1. Itumbi murder
DP Gachagua recently claimed former Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti ordered the murder of veteran blogger Dennis Itumbi. He said: “This young man’s death (pointing at Itumbi) had been planned. A command came. Kinoti sent his boys to pick him up. He was bundled into a car, they removed his nails, hurt his knees and did some inhumane things to him.”
Adding: “Kinoti then changed his mind and called the policemen who had abducted Itumbi, telling them not to kill him.”
2.Chebukati bribe
DP Gachagua also recently claimed that former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati refused a Sh1 billion bribe to illegally declare Raila Odinga as winner of the August 2022 polls.
He said: “Things were terrible at Bomas of Kenya (the tallying centre). It was as though there were demons that had filled the place, some with seven horns and three tails. People were sent to bribe Chebukati with Sh1 billion so he could announce Raila Odinga as the president, but he refused. Top army officials were then sent to intimidate him but he remained firm and God touched his heart because the country would have burned.”
3.Empty Coffers.
The Deputy President Gachagua has consistently claimed the country’s coffers were empty when former president Uhuru Kenyatta handed over power in September 2022.
Gachagua stresses that ‘even rats had ran away from the treasure buildings as they had nothing to it’.
“We inherited a dilapidated economy. We found empty coffers, even the rats had fled. There is barely any money in this country and we are starting from scratch. I have asked the people of Kenya to be patient with us because we have a plan but it cannot be immediate because we have found a bad situation in terms of the economy,” he stated.
4. Naked humiliation
A month after taking the oath of office, the Gachagua, while acknowleging the withdrawal of his Sh7.4 billion graft case, opened up on the humiliation he supposedly went through.
“Those who arrested and falsely accused us of corruption, we have forgiven you. Even the one who sent them to arrest us and strip us naked in front of children we have forgiven you,” he said.
5.Drunkards to be taken home in police vehicles
Not done, the DP, popularly known as Riggy G in youthful circles, has publicly told police not to harass drunk pedestrians on the streets at night but instead ferry them home.
“If you are a police officer in a land cruiser and you meet someone at night in their drunken state, put them in the car and take them home to his wife so he can rest. That’s how it is done in the United States of America. There is no need to arrest them,” he said.
Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Chirau Mwakwere resigns as Wiper chairperson