Former Kenya Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has raised concerns over alleged state surveillance and harassment, claiming that security agents in unmarked cars have been monitoring his every move.
The outspoken politician, who is now a private citizen, disclosed the ordeal through a public statement that paints a chilling picture reminiscent of past oppressive regimes.
Gachagua has detailed how the surveillance has extended to his Nairobi residence, rural home and even his movements to church and social gatherings.
“Security agents in unmarked cars have been following me wherever I go. They are parking at the entrance of my Nairobi residence, taking note of all my visitors, and they trail me whenever I leave the house, even all the way to my rural home in Nyeri,” he alleged.
The harassment, he claimed, reached a peak last Sunday when a saloon car allegedly trailed him to multiple locations.
“Last Sunday, the saloon car that was parked at the entrance to my residence trailed me to PCEA Kerarapon Church, followed me to where I went for a late lunch and back to the house!” Upon investigating the car’s license plate on the NTSA portal, the plates were registered to a lorry, raising further questions about the intent behind the surveillance,” he revealed.
Gachagua likened the current events to the dark days of the Moi regime, stating, “This surveillance and intimidation of Kenyans was last witnessed during the era of the dreaded ‘Special Branch’ during the 24 years of Moi’s misrule!”
He expressed fears for his safety amid Kenya’s worrying trend of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, calling on citizens to hold the government accountable for any harm that may come to him.
He added, “In this era of extrajudicial killings, forced abductions, and disappearances by state agents, I have thought it important to share with Kenyans the harassment and intimidation I am going through and inform them to hold the state responsible if I am harmed by state agents.”
Gachagua appealed for an end to the alleged intimidation, urging the state to allow him to live in peace as a private citizen.
“I request the state to leave me alone! You hounded me out of office, and you should now allow me to enjoy my peace as a private citizen.”
As the nation awaits official government communication, Gachagua’s revelations serve as a reminder of the fragile balance between national security and individual freedoms in the country.
Gachagua was removed from office after he was impeached in a historic vote in the country’s Senate on Thursday night.
Gachagua became the first deputy president to be removed from office in this way since impeachment was introduced in Kenya’s 2010 constitution.
The 59-year-old, who was once a close ally of President William Ruto, faced 11 charges including insubordination to the president, inciting ethnic violence, corruption, undermining government and money laundering, among others.
Gachagua rejected the charges against him as being politically motivated.
But the Senate – which only had to find him guilty of one charge to remove him – decided he was guilty of five of the 11 that Gachagua faced.
Gachagua, who previously served as a member of parliament, was elected into office to serve alongside President Ruto in August 2022. The two defied the odds to win the election, but their relations have since sputtered, even as Ruto has warmed to opposition leader Raila Odinga, his main rival in the elections.
