Gachagua Dismisses Coup Allegations, Accuses Government of Stage-Managing Chaos » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya June 28 – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has strongly denied claims linking him to the deadly protests that rocked the country on Wednesday, dismissing suggestions that he financed the unrest as false, malicious, and politically motivated.

Speaking in an interview with NTV and later issuing an 18-point statement, the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader said the government was scapegoating him to deflect from its own failure to manage the demonstrations.

“If they had intelligence that goons had been paid by Rigathi or anybody else, why didn’t they arrest them?” he posed. “If these were my goons, I want to tell you today, they would either be in custody or have been shot dead.”

Gachagua also rubbished Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s assertion that the protests were part of a planned coup. Murkomen had claimed that the organisers intended to take over symbols of state power—specifically Parliament and State House—to suggest a regime change.

“That was not a protest, that was an attempted coup,” Murkomen said on Thursday. “The plan was to storm institutions of authority and democracy.”

But Gachagua fired back, questioning how unarmed youth could allegedly mount such a coordinated coup. “How did they manage to storm and take over police stations?” he asked. “If there was such intelligence, why didn’t they act on it? Murkomen must respect the people and stop taking them for fools.”

Gachagua accused the government of deliberately staging the chaos to discredit opposition leaders and provoke violence. He claimed the state intentionally blocked demonstrators along Kiambu and Thika roads, leaving the Nairobi Central Business District exposed to looters.

“We have credible information that businesses in downtown Nairobi were selectively targeted—especially those belonging to people from a certain region,” he alleged. “This brutal operation was led by officials from the County Government of Nairobi and other state actors.”

He also condemned the police response, saying security forces used excessive force on peaceful Gen Z protesters. “I condemn in the strongest terms the use of live bullets and brutality by police on unarmed demonstrators,” Gachagua said.

Amnesty International placed the death toll at 16, with more than 400 injured during the protests. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported similar figures, blaming security forces for the fatalities.

In his national address, President William Ruto condemned what he termed “anarchy dressed in freedom colours” and warned that no one would be spared, regardless of political status.

“Those who want power must convince Kenyans at the ballot, not burn down what others have built,” the President said. “The Inspector General and relevant agencies must act swiftly to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.”

Murkomen, in a separate statement, described the protests as “terrorism disguised as dissent.” He claimed police stations were attacked, firearms stolen, and government offices burned in what he called a politically orchestrated assault.

“More than 80 police vehicles were destroyed. Five firearms were stolen from Dagoretti Police Post alone. It was not spontaneous—it was funded, deliberate, and politically instigated,” the Interior CS said.

But Gachagua dismissed Murkomen’s narrative, accusing him of misleading the public. “This was not a citizen uprising. It was a regime-scripted operation to delegitimise the youth movement and criminalise dissent,” he said.

Gachagua also cancelled scheduled media engagements in Embu County on Thursday, saying he was in mourning with the families who lost loved ones during the protests.

The standoff between the government and opposition-aligned leaders has deepened as calls for accountability grow, with human rights groups urging restraint, impartial investigations, and the protection of constitutional freedoms.