William Ruto Dares Rigathi Gachagua to Provide Evidence Govt Is Targeting Businesses of Gema
- Rigathi Gachagua's assertion that the state is masterminding the violence in the protests has caught the attention of President William Ruto
- In his recent appearances in public and the media, the former deputy president has sensationally claimed that Ruto's regime has planned terror against the Mt Kenya natives
- Ruto dismissed the assertion, asking Gachagua to be bold enough to share evidence with the state authorities for proper action
President William Ruto has broken his silence on the narrative spun by members of the opposition that the government is waging war against natives of Mt Kenya.
Source: Twitter
Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has been spearheading the accusations against Ruto that he is planning to weaken the larger Gema community (mainly made of Gikuyu, Embu and Meru) for political expediency.
How Gachagua is accusing Ruto
More often than not, in any appearance in public, the former deputy president has authoritatively claimed his former boss's machinations against his (Gachagua's) community, including an alleged plan to free illicit alcohol in Mt Kenya to destroy the youth, arrest politicians from the region who are against the regime, and, latest, send supposed state-sponsored militias to attack and destroy businesses owned by members of the foregoing community.
His claims were lent credence by the recent instances in which supermarkets and establishments owned by members of the Kikuyu community were set on fire and merchandise looted during the Saba Saba protests.
According to Gachagua, Ruto's is an elaborately calculated scheme to terrorise Mt Kenya into political submission.
The president dismissed all those as an instance of pathetic fallacy to rile up the public.
Is Ruto's government targeting Mt Kenya businesspeople?
Speaking at the State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday, July 9, Ruto faulted Gachagua for advancing unsubstantiated narratives to pit the public against the government.
He asked him to consider contacting the relevant authorities with any information regarding the perpetrators of violence and destruction of properties in the recent protests for proper legal action.
"I have heard someone announce that they have information that the government planned to send goons and people to destroy and burn down the businesses of people from one community. If that person is man enough, he should tell us who those people are. He should go and record a statement saying it is a specific person, a specific leader in a specific place. Not spewing nonsensical things online for political mileage; it is unacceptable," Ruto said.
Source: Twitter
Ruto castigated his former deputy for leveraging the agonies of businesspeople in Mt Kenya for his political mileage.
According to the president, Gachagua is out of order to weaponise the sufferings of victims of lawlessness to advance his political agenda against the current regime in power.
"So, if any leader has information to the effect that the burning of citizens' properties in Meru, in Moranga, in Kiambu, and in Kirinyaga was orchestrated by any official in government, if you are a responsible leader, you should be able to provide that information so that those behind these heinous acts can be arrested and taken to court and charged for criminal activity. Otherwise, if you are playing politics with the businesses of people who are shedding tears because they have lost their property, they have lost their businesses, then shame on you," Ruto told Gachagua.
Is state arresting suspects of violence in protests?
Ruto's sentiments came at a time when the state agencies were rounding up alleged masterminds and perpetrators of violence in the recent protests.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have been cracking down on suspects behind the torching of businesses and government installations.
Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji, a Gachagua ally, is currently in police custody as the investigators build a case against him.
The lawmaker is accused of paying goons to infiltrate protests with the intent of causing chaos in Juja.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
