DCI summons impeached DP Gachagua over assassination claims

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has summoned embattled Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to appear at their headquarters on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, following his public claims of assassination attempts in Kisumu and Nyeri.

In a statement on Monday, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin emphasised that the gravity of the allegations, given the high-ranking position Gachagua held as a Deputy President.

"These are serious allegations emanating from a person of his stature and cannot be taken lightly," Amin said in a statement signed by J. K. Marete, said.

The DCI has requested Gachagua's presence at their Mazingira Complex-Kiambu Road offices to officially record his statement and facilitate investigations.

Marete reassured that the matter would be treated with utmost seriousness and sensitivity. "We understand the sensitivity of the allegations and assure you that this matter will be handled with the seriousness it deserves. Your statement is a crucial component of our investigation."

The invitation for Gachagua's appearance stems from statements he made during a press conference on Sunday after being discharged from Karen Hospital.

The impeached DP claimed that attempts had been made on his life. He recounted two specific incidents where he believes he was targeted for poisoning.

He described an alarming encounter on August 30, 2024, in Kisumu, where he claimed undercover security agents entered his room and attempted to poison his food, a scheme that was fortunately thwarted.

“I want to tell the people of Kenya that I don't feel safe. And for the first time, let me say that on the 30th of August in Kisumu, undercover security agents entered my room in Kisumu and banged it, and one of them tried to poison my food, but we detected it, and we were able to escape the scheme. I was supposed to be killed through poisoning,” he said.

He revealed that a subsequent attempt occurred on September 3 in Nyeri, where he alleged that a team from the National Intelligence Service made another effort to poison food meant for him and the Kikuyu Council of Elders.

“On September 3 in Nyeri, another team from the National Intelligence Service came to Nyeri and tried to poison food that was meant for me and the Kikuyu council of elders. I did report this matter to the National Intelligence Service and the officers who are assigned to my office. I asked them to leave because I felt I was not safe after the two attempts to assassinate me through food poisoning failed,” he said.

Gachagua said it was then after these attempts that his impeachment motion was hatched.

According to DCI, his statement is expected to play a key role in the investigations as authorities seek to uncover the truth behind the assassination claims.