Gachagua fìres back at Raila over night meeting claims
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Friday, March 24, hit out at Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga over his claims that a section of the Kenya Kwanza leaders was plotting to disrupt peaceful protests called by the opposition.
Raila had alleged that Gachagua convened a meeting at his Karen residence on Tuesday night with the aim of disrupting the anti-government protests seeking electoral and economic reforms.
He said the meeting was attended by National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah and Kiharu Member of Parliament (MP) Ndindi Nyoro.
But speaking during the thanksgiving celebration for Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu in Nyaribari Masaba, Kisii county on Friday, March 24, Gachagua denied the claims, saying he had no time for such plans.
"He claimed he would go to State House, the President is waiting for him. Instead, he went to the streets to destroy property… If you are afraid of meeting the President, do not destroy property on Monday, come see me at the office.
"He is now rebuking Kimani Ichung'wah, Ndindi Nyoro and me because we have decided that property will not be destroyed. Now he is attacking us. We do not have the time, we are in government and follow the law, the police will deal with him," Gachagua said.
Gachagua dared the opposition chief to face him instead of targeting junior officers.
"If you want to know the true colours of Ndindi Nyoro and Kimani Ichngu'wah ask Uhuru Kenyatta, he will tell you the real definition of these young men. Let him leave Nyoro and Ichung'wah alone because they are juniors. He should come for me," he added.
According to Raila, the night meeting was also attended by several youths invited by Gachagua with the aim of causing violence during protests scheduled for Monday and Thursday next week.
"Rigathi Gachagua convened a meeting at his residence in Karen, in attendance were Kimani Ichung'wah and Ndindi Nyoro, they invited several youths from different parts of the country to that meeting and that meeting turned out to be a strategy session to plan to counter the demonstrators on Monday," Raila said yesterday.
The youths, Raila said, were handed uniforms that resemble those of his supporters under the Movement for the Defence of Democracy (MDD) to pose as Azimio supporters during the demos.
The former prime minister claimed the youths were instructed to cause disruptions and harm people to taint his name and subsequently give the International Criminal Court (ICC) enough grounds to charge Azimio leaders with crimes against humanity.
"The plan, according to the information we have, is that these youth are going to be given uniforms similar to those of the MDD, our movement. Then they will mix with our youth and accompany them throughout the demonstrations," he added.
"...It was a planning meeting about how they will arm Youth to kill 1,000 Kenyans during demonstrations and take videos and images to the ICC blaming Azimio Leaders."
