NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 1 – Democracy for Citizens Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua has protested to Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, accusing the National Police Service of enabling political violence and demanding an immediate end to what he terms state-sponsored goonism.
Gachagua referenced President William Ruto’s latest directive ordering a crackdown on political hooligans following violent clash during a church service in Kariobangi North.
Yesterday, confrontation broke out in Kariobangi North between supporters of DCP party leader Rigathi Gachagua and another group, prompting police to fire teargas to disperse the clash.
The heavy teargas spread into the PCEA church, where the former DP was attending a thanksgiving service after the party candidate won the recent Kariobangi North by election.
“If at all, Mr. William Ruto is genuine or is now a changed man, WHICH WE HIGHLY DOUBT, you must immediately disengage your police, whom most of the time, in civilian dress, move the goons in police vehicles, offer them tactical cover, intelligence information and back-up whenever wananchi overpower them,”he stated.
He also accuses the Kariobangi North OCS of teargassing congregants during a confrontation in November claiming that goons were a fully-fledged unit under the National Police Service working hand in hand with the police.
“Mr. Kanja, be advised that on Sunday 30th November, 2025, in Kariobangi North, the goons who had come to disrupt the church service were overpowered by wananchi and Christians in the church and they came back under police escort,” Gachagua said.
“This gang was under the command of your OCS for Kariobangi North Police Station a one Mr. Syad Hassan who teargassed Sunday school kids and Christians while in church with the sole intention of causing confusion and give goons a leeway to attack us in the church,” he added.
The former Deputy President accuses police officers often in plain clothes of working alongside gangs aligned to politicians close to the President.
Among the cases he cites is the April 2025 incident at PCEA Mwiki, alleging, The file for the Mwiki PCEA church goon attack is ready but it was stopped by William Ruto because an MCA who is his close friend is highly implicated.
“Mr. Kanja, you must make a decision as IG and make a public statement that the goons who reign terror on them will no longer get police support under your command and politicians allied to the President,”the Former Deputy President asserted.
He challenges IG Kanja to publicly renounce what he calls collaboration between police and criminal gangs. Gachagua argued that if police step back, citizens will help restore order in the country.
“If the police, under your command, disengage from the state-sponsored militia, within no time, you know Kenyans are peace-loving; they will arrest these goons and bring them to your stations when they are sure that the due legal process will follow,”Gachagua noted.
He accuses the IG of being the weakest link in dealing with political violence and goonism, and lists several incidents between 2024 and 2025 in which he claims he and his supporters were attacked under police supervision.
These include alleged confrontations at funerals, prayer rallies, churches and political events across Kiambu, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Nakuru, Nairobi, Murang’a and Narok.
