Gachagua Mocks Raila's Directive To Kenyans To Stay At Home

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Saturday, August 12 took aim at Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga's new style of anti-government protests to avoid repetitive cases of police brutality that have led to the loss of lives.

Speaking to the faithful at ACK St Mark's Church Lolkireny, Nandi Hills Constituency, Nandi County, for a fundraiser to support ACK churches in the region, Gachagua remarked that Raila had run out of ideas to stay relevant in the political atmosphere through the new tactic that compelled supporters to stay at home.

He added that Raila was unable to stage any more street protests due to the deployment of heavy security personnel in the country, thus resorting to asking supporters to protest from inside their houses.

The Deputy President urged Raila to concede that he lost to William Ruto in the 2022 general elections and acknowledge that he is the President.

"I heard Raila telling people to stay in their houses as a new means of protest. He's saying that people won't go to the streets because we made it that way. It's not because he wants, it is because it has become difficult.

"Raila said that he will restrict people from leaving their homes. The house is yours, so how can he stop you from leaving? So the mass protests are over because we have made it that way. Raila needs to come out clearly and say what he wants," Gachagua added. 

The former Mathira MP went on to explain that one of his primary duties as Deputy President was to ensure that the opposition does not get a share in the government.

He even joked about how he was forced to return early from his trips abroad upon realising that the opposition was potentially taking advantage of his absence from the country to infiltrate the Kenya Kwanza government.

"My work is simple, to ensure that these people don't get a chance in government.

"Recently, I flew out of the country and they made attempts to infiltrate hence I came back early. No one will disrupt the president from doing his work," he stated.

While addressing mourners in Bondo, Siaya during the Interdenominational mass on Friday, August 11, the former Prime Minister hinted at a change in the style of protests that would not involve the coalition's supporters taking to the streets as has been the case in previous demonstrations, alluding to the change in protest angle to the 'many ways of killing a cat'.

In expressing displeasure at President Ruto's administration, Raila in his call for Kenya to be liberated appealed to supporters to protest by staying at home instead of going to work every weekday, or during weekends when necessary.

"We don't even have to bring people into the streets, we can tell people to stay at home as another way of expressing displeasure and dissatisfaction. In fact, next time we will not tell people to come to the streets, we will them to stay in their homes and not to come outside,” decried Raila.

The former Prime Minister further went to the extent of imploring his supporters to prevent Kenyans from leaving their houses.

"We'll tell you don't come out, stop anybody who's trying to come out and stay at home. My people, there are many ways of killing a cat when it becomes wild and starts killing your chicken. This cat we'll kill," he added. 

Raila also criticised the government and its top leaders for allegedly masterminding the murder of tens of Azimio supporters during street protests in the guise of protecting property as the street protests were held.

He was irked to learn that President Ruto had commended the police for doing what he termed as a good job to protect the property and lives of Kenyans yet there were scores of people who lost their lives during the protests.