In response to the contentious 2023 raid on former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Northlands property, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua distanced himself from the event and blamed President William Ruto. Gachagua categorically denied any role in the attack on the Kenyatta family’s land after security was removed from them in an exclusive interview on Friday .
He asserted that the current president alone is in charge of making such security-related decisions and that he lacked the power or clout to provide such orders. Gachagua claimed that President Ruto, who was apparently abroad at the time, had planned the operation before departing the nation. He emphasised that the president alone is able to meddle in a former head of state’s safety.
The raid happened during a critical time when Raila Odinga and the Azimio coalition were leading rallies across the country. Tensions between the present and previous governments were heightened at the time when government insiders accused Uhuru of providing financial backing for the protests.
In his most blatant attempt to distance himself from the affair to date, Gachagua accuses President Ruto of masterminding a political attack. His comments are likely to add fresh dimensions to the continuing controversy over the Northlands invasion and rekindle the debate about the use of state apparatus for political revenge. Gachagua’s disclosures could change public opinion and bring up more issues regarding responsibility and power abuse while the incident’s investigations are still ongoing.
