Nakuru: Chaotic Scenes as Police Lob Tear Gas at Rigathi Gachagua Allies During Rally
- Rigathi Gachagua's political allies and members of the Democratic Citizens' Party organised a political rally in Gilgil
- Just when they began addressing the crowd, police officers lobbed teargas, dispersing the huge crowd that had already gathered
- Following the dramatic turn of events, the former country's second in command issued a statement
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Faith Chandianya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and Current Affairs in Kenya
What was supposed to be a peaceful political rally spearheaded by former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua's close allies was characterised by screams, gunshots and tear gas fumes.
Source: Facebook
It all started with Gachagua's political allies, including Nyandarua senator John Methu, began to address the people of Gilgil on Saturday, August 2.
Did police lob tear gas at Gachagua's allies?
Moments later, police officers disrupted the event by lobbing tear gas in a bid to disperse the crowd that had gathered to listen to Methu.
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In a video seen by TUKO.co.ke, the angry crowd was heard chanting the 'Wantam' slogan as they ran for safety.
At one point, the police officers were captured involved in an altercation with residents who threw stones at them as they lobbed teargas canisters.
One person was captured in a video nursing an injury that he sustained on his leg during the chaotic scenes.
In response to the ordeal, Gachagua, who is currently in the United States, took to his social media platforms to issue a statement.
Did Gachagua blame Ruto for chaos at rally?
Gachagua accused President William Ruto and the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen of sending law enforcement officers to disrupt their rally.
"Once again, our team’s public participation meeting was rudely disrupted by the police, following clear instructions from William Ruto and his protege Kipchumba Murkomen," Gachagua's statement read in part.
He claimed that the head of state is steering the country towards a dictatorial path where Kenyans are no longer allowed to gather for a political rally.
The former deputy president, however, affirmed his commitment and that of his close allies in their bid to pass their agenda across.
"Ruto’s fear of the unknown is gradually steering our country towards a dictatorial path, where suppression and intimidation are becoming the tools of his playbook. Despite these cowardly actions by this failed regime, our resilience and commitment have shone brighter than ever," Gachagua said
"To our team, it is always darkest before dawn. We will rewrite the wrongs and restore sanity to governance. Keep up the good work. Kenyans are ticking the box," he added.
Teargas lobbed at Methu, Malala
The recent incident is not the first of its kind.
On Saturday, May 24, the Democracy for Citizens Party deputy leader, Cleophas Malala and John Methu were forced to run for their lives after police officers lobbed teargas at Kakamega protesters.
Source: Original
Officers from Kakamega police station lobbed tear gas when Malala was addressing the crowd.
During the chaos, Methu was forced to take cover after tear gas and live bullets hit his vehicle.
Expressing his disappointment, Malala called out the police, asserting that their job is to protect Kenyans, not attack them.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
