KIRINYAGA, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has sparked a major political storm after alleging the existence of a state-sanctioned police killer squad, allegedly operating under the direct orders of President William Ruto. Gachagua made the explosive claims during a church service in Kirinyaga County, raising fresh concerns about extrajudicial killings and abuse of power.
He asserted that this purported squad comprises highly trained individuals, an initiative he claims was endorsed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), led by Noordin Haji.
Gachagua directly linked the squad to the unexplained death of Albert Ojwang’, further alleging that numerous other Kenyans have met similar fates at the hands of this unit, with their cases meticulously concealed.
Regarding Ojwang’s death, Gachagua stated, “This issue (Ojwang’s death) is just a tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of young people have been tortured to death by a special squad of 101 officers that was set up on the instruction of William Ruto and seconded to NIS, and highly trained on abductions, torture, killings and cover-ups.”
Gachagua explicitly held President Ruto responsible for these deaths, advocating for legal accountability and urging the international community to intervene and take action against the President.
He emphasized, “William Ruto cannot run away from these deaths. He is responsible, and Kenyans will punish him for that.”
The death of Albert Ojwang’ itself has been shrouded in controversy, with inconsistencies emerging from police testimonies regarding the circumstances of his mysterious passing.
The Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Amin Mohamed, under oath, stated that Ojwang’ was discovered unconscious in his cell at 01:39 on June 8. He added that Ojwang’ was transported to Mbagathi Hospital, arriving around 2:00 AM, and was subsequently pronounced dead.
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However, CCTV footage from Mbagathi Hospital reportedly shows a police vehicle transporting Ojwang’ arriving at the facility at 1:35 AM. The footage further suggests that Ojwang’ remained in the vehicle for 24 minutes before medical personnel attended to him.
A hospital report indicated that Ojwang’ was brought in deceased, with his body noted as cold and unresponsive, exhibiting a swollen face and a laceration at the back of his head.
Public outrage over the suspected police killing has intensified, leading to protests demanding the arrest of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Kenya Police Service, Eliud Kipkoech Lagat.
Lagat had filed a defamation complaint against Ojwang’, which led to Ojwang’s initial arrest. Sources
