Gachagua Setting Up Armoury, Command Centres In 2 Nairobi Locations- Raila

Azimio la Umoja leader, Raila Odinga, has launched new accusations against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua hours to the planned demonstrations on Monday, March 27.

In a statement on Sunday, March 26, the former Prime Minister claimed that the second-in-command is mobilising a major operation against the rallies set to take place in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD).

He claimed that Gachagua set up an armoury and command centres in two different locations in the city, one of them next to Bomas of Kenya belonging to a former senior government official and another at a house owned by a current Cabinet Secretary (CS).

"It has come to our attention that Mr Rigathi Gachagua is currently coordinating a major operation of mayhem against planned Azimio la Umoja protest rallies scheduled to take place in Nairobi tomorrow.

"To realize his evil and bloody plans against otherwise peaceful protesters, Mr Gachagua has set up an armoury and command centres in two different locations at a house next to the Bomas of Kenya that belongs to a former Cabinet Secretary and another on Hillcrest Drive, Nairobi, belonging to a serving Cabinet Secretary," he stated in part.

He added that the two homes are currently being stocked with all sorts of modern and crude weapons including guns, pangas and machetes for the said operation, weapons that are being ferried to the venue in a vehicle camouflaged as St. Mary's Ambulance.

Raila also exposed the registration numbers of some of the vehicles allegedly deployed for the operation.

"Some of the vehicles deployed for this operation are KBQ 721J, KAZ 432F and KBM 771Z, among others. The same crude weapons and forces' uniforms are being dispatched to upcountry locations in western and Nyanza, where youths have been booked in hotels with instructions to target specific Azimio leaders.

"A number of rebel Azimio MPs from these regions have been deployed in support of this dirty mission, especially in western Kenya and Nyanza," he added.

Raila further claimed that a fleet of public service vehicles in Nairobi have been deployed to ferry youths to several regions within Nairobi and Kiambu to target Azimio leaders who will be part of the protests. 

"Their mission is to target Azimio leaders in Nairobi including Hon. Babu Owini, Hon. Opiyo Wandayi, and Hon. Edwin Sifuna and Hon. Jeremiah Kioni, among others. When this planned mayhem comes to pass, Mr Gachagua must be prepared to take full responsibility for it," he concluded.

DP Gachagua was yet to issue a response to the new claims by the time of publication. He had previously denied claims by Raila that he was carrying out a secret meeting at his residence in Karen with the aim of disrupting the protests.

He further alleged that Raila had changed his plan on marching to State House where President William Ruto was waiting for him, claiming that he was afraid of facing him head-on.

"He claimed he would go to State House, the President is waiting for him. Instead. (Instead), he went to the ground to destroy property... If you are afraid of meeting the President, do not destroy property on Monday, come see me at the office. 

"He is now rebuking Kimani Ichung'wah, Ndindi Nyoro and me because we have decided that property will not be destroyed. Now he is attacking us. We do not have the time, we are in the Government and follow the law, the police will deal with him," he shot back.

Raila's purpose of staging mass protests on Monday and Thursday of every week is among others, the reduction of the cost of living and the opening of IEBC servers after losing in the August 9, 2022 elections.

Despite a warning by Inspector General of Police (IG) Japhet Koome against anyone planning to cause chaos on Monday, March 27, Raila on Sunday maintained that Monday’s demonstrations will be peaceful and urged members of the police not to use force on demonstrators or disperse them, saying police should protect Kenyans who will be protesting.

“As a police officer, you are a servant of these Kenyans. That uniform you’re wearing is from their taxes, that firearm you are carrying, that tear gas you are lobbing, that house you live in, your salary, they are all from taxpayers’ money,” Odinga said during a church service at the Jesus Teaching Ministry in Nairobi.