Gov’t is sending police to counter Haiti gangs but funding criminals at home - Gachagua

Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has criticised President William Ruto’s administration for what he calls a state-backed resurgence of criminal gangs.

The former DP on Thursday said it was ironic for Kenya to send police officers to combat gangs in Haiti as part of a U.N.-backed mission while allegedly sponsoring similar rings at home to intimidate government critics.

“It does not make sense to send your security forces abroad to quell criminal gangs yet in your country, the government is spending resources on reviving such gangs,” Gachagua said during a TikTok livestream hosted by some Kenyans in the diaspora.

Gachagua, who was last October booted out of Ruto’s government through an impeachment motion, criticised the government over what he called concerted efforts to silence critics, citing the recent abduction cases of young Kenyans by perceived members of the security forces.

“This administration has sunk very low. Even the British colonialists never went for our children. I feel very sorry that I was part of an administration that has turned against its people,” he said.

“A government that cannot secure its people has no business being in power.”

He praised Kenyan youth as creative people who have taken up the role of the opposition Ruto “killed” by co-opting key opposition figures into his administration.

At the same time, Gachagua appealed to the international community to pressure Ruto’s government to constitute the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

“Looking at the things some government officials have been saying recently when there is no IEBC raises a red flag,” he said.

Among the Ruto allies Gachagua referred to is Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi who recently said they will do everything within their power to guarantee Ruto’s re-election in the 2027 polls, even if it entails manipulating votes.

Nearly two years after the retirement of commissioners led by their chairperson Wafula Chebukati, the country does not have proper representation in the electoral body.

One key IEBC function which has stalled with the delay in the appointment of commissioners is the delimitation of boundaries, which happens every 10 years and should have taken place last year.