In a rare political alignment, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and outspoken lawyer Dr. Miguna Miguna have announced plans to file a case against President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing him of overseeing state-sanctioned killings and human rights violations during recent anti-government protests.
The move comes amid growing public anger over the deaths and injuries reported during the July 7th Saba Saba demonstrations, which saw police accused of using excessive force against unarmed civilians.
In a fiery statement posted on his Facebook page while leaving for the United States, where he is currently on a political tour, Gachagua accused President Ruto of directly ordering attacks against Kenyans who helped bring him to power.
“You are asking us to name those who organised?. I named you as the person responsible for unleashing violence against the community that made you President. How do I report you to the same police you directed to supervise and protect the militia as they brutalized Kenyans?” he posed
He went on to accuse Ruto’s government of forming a shadowy killer squad, allegedly tasked with abducting and eliminating government critics.
“You could not even send condolences to the dead. You lack feelings and humanity. We shall report you NOT to the Kenyan police but the International Criminal Court, an address you are familiar with,” Gachagua continued.
Echoing the same sentiments, Miguna Miguna issued a sharply worded message on X (formerly Twitter), urging Gachagua to reveal the names of what he claimed were “101 killer squads” allegedly created under Ruto’s watch.
“URGENT MESSAGE TO RIGATHI GACHAGUA: Kenyans would like you to disclose the names of 101 killer squads who William Ruto set up before your impeachment. We have an urgent application to make to the International Criminal Court. Finally, please stop talking about 2027. Kenyans want Ruto gone now, in 2025,” Miguna wrote.
Miguna, who returned to Kenya in late 2022 after years in exile, has long accused the current administration of corruption and violence, but this is the first time he has partnered, albeit loosely, with Gachagua, a man he once criticized harshly.
The call for international prosecution further escalates the political tensions brewing in the country. President Ruto’s administration has yet to officially respond to the allegations, though government officials have consistently defended the police response as necessary to maintain order during what they termed “violent riots.”
Both Gachagua and Miguna have vowed to lobby the international community, including human rights groups and legal experts in The Hague, to begin investigations into the state’s role in protest-related deaths.
