NYERI, Kenya — Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has accused President William Ruto of orchestrating an attack on his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, during a church service in Othaya, Nyeri County, on Sunday.
According to Kalonzo, persons believed to be police officers in plain clothes disrupted the service by lobbing teargas canisters and firing gunshots, causing panic among worshippers.
Speaking in Machakos County following the incident, Kalonzo condemned the attack, which he said was “organized and executed by police officers posing as goons.”
He questioned how individuals in plain clothes obtained teargas canisters, which are normally restricted to the Kenya Police Service.
“I plead with fellow Kenyans to reject the capture of the church, attacks on holy places and throwing of teargas,” Kalonzo said, warning against the misuse of state institutions for political purposes.
The Wiper leader further claimed that Gachagua was taken to an unknown location during the chaos.
“We demand that Rigathi Gachagua be produced, and Kenyans should know his condition. If anything happens to Rigathi Gachagua, William Ruto will not have a country,” he said.
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At the time of reporting, a video obtained by Vivid Voice News shows Gachagua escaping the church premises in the company of his aides.
Eyewitnesses reported that vehicles were targeted and that live bullets were found inside the church compound.
The assailants reportedly lobbed teargas and fired live ammunition inside the church compound shortly after the Deputy President arrived to attend service. Details about the number of injuries or the extent of damage have not yet been released.
The Sunday incident is not the first of its kind. Gachagua, a former Deputy President, has previously been the target of attacks at church gatherings, raising concerns about the safety of public figures in religious spaces.
