- Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua accused President William Ruto of protecting DIG Eliud Lagat over the custodial death of blogger Albert Ojwang’
- Gachagua alleged that Ruto was shielding Lagat due to ethnic ties, contrasting his treatment with that of ex-DCI boss George Kinoti, who was forced out in 2022
- He dismissed Lagat’s move to “step aside” as a legal fiction meant to defuse public anger without real accountability
- Gachagua warned that Ruto was betraying his campaign promises on justice and equality by applying selective standards based on political and ethnic loyalty
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Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of shielding Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat from accountability over the death of blogger Albert Ojwang’, who died in police custody.
DIG Lagat is at the centre of public outrage following the suspicious death of Ojwang’, who was arrested and later died while in custody at Nairobi’s Central Police Station.
During an interview on Friday, June 20, Gachagua openly questioned the president’s handling of the matter, claiming there was a clear display of ethnic bias and political hypocrisy in how Ruto treats top government officials implicated in serious wrongdoing.
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“Mbona wewe Rais mtu wa kwako anaitwa Lagat iko madai ameua mtu. Mbona unamshikilia?” Gachagua posed, arguing that Ruto was protecting Lagat because they hail from the same community.
He compared Lagat’s situation to that of former Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti, who was publicly pushed out of office under Ruto’s watch in 2022 amid allegations of overseeing extrajudicial killings.
The former DP, who has in recent months fashioned himself as Ruto’s chief critic, claimed Lagat’s ‘stepping aside’ move as a charade.
“Ulipiga kelele ati Kinoti hakupeleka maneno vizuri. Ati watu waluwawa akiwa DCI. Ukafukuza Kinoti na ni sawa na tukakubali. Mbona wewe Rais mtu wa kwako anaitwa Lagat iko madai ameua mtu. Mbona unamshikilia. Vile ulifanyia Kinoti na uliita press conference ukasema huyu Kinoti nilisema akwende. Kuwa muungwana,” Gachagua said.
Why Gachagua suspects Lagat’s stepping aside?
Gachagua insisted that the “stepping aside” narrative lacks any legal basis, warning Kenyans not to fall for what he described as a ploy to cool public anger before Lagat is quietly reinstated.
“Na maneno yote inamuelekea yeye unamkinga unasema step aside, hiyo ni uongo; hakuna provision anywhere katika sheria za Kenya ya stepping aside angeresign ama angekuwa suspended. Hakuna hiyo ni sarakasi huyo mtu atarudi tu kazi baada ya wiki mbili,” he stated.
He further accused Ruto of betraying the ideals of justice and equality that he campaigned on, and warned of a growing pattern where senior officials from select ethnic groups.
“Kama wewe si mkabila vile unajaribu kusema mimi ndio mkabila, huyu Lagat mtu ya kabila yako unakinga yeye kwa nini na madai ile ilikuwa juu ya Kinoti ndio iko juu ya Lagat, why are you having doublespeak.
Kwa nini hatuwezi kuwa with the same standard the way ulifanyia Kinoti ukasema akiwa pale kuna maneno haitakikani, huyu ni mtu ya kabila yako si hata yeye umuondoe vile uliondoa Kinoti,” Gachagua demanded.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
