Allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have lashed out angrily at Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo over his remarks that the government is effectively addressing the fight against illegal alcohol abuse and that Gachagua’s claims of reluctance since he was thrown out of office are baseless, selfish, and politically driven.

NAIROBI

Key Gachagua surrogates, including senators Karungo wa Thang’wa, Joe Nyutu, and Seki Lenku; hardline ruling party MPs James Gakuya, Jayne Kihara, John Kaguchia, George Koimburi, and Peter Kihungi; and other backers have accused PS Omollo of ignorance for failing to recognise that the deliberate procedures embodied in present efforts to control illicit brew are not sufficient in themselves, as the problem has assumed the dimensions of a national emergency, with Mt Kenya region being affected the most.

“In fact, we believe the PS was being dishonest in only acknowledging deaths in Nakuru County because there have been deaths everywhere, especially in the Mt Kenya region,” the leaders stated in their declaration.

They further insisted, “The return of illicit alcohol is a serious threat that will once again destroy families and communities across the nation, particularly in the Mt Kenya region.”

Yesterday, PS Omollo, on behalf of the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration, condemned Gachagua’s allegations made during a church service in Naivasha. The former DP had accused President Ruto’s government of slowing the fight against illicit liquor and deliberately targeting Mt Kenya region residents with counterfeit alcohol distribution and sales. The PS described these accusations as reckless and unbecoming of a leader of Gachagua’s stature.

While acknowledging that drug and alcohol abuse, drug trafficking, and related criminal activity remain serious problems affecting the lives of most Kenyans, the PS spoke ambitiously about the government’s commitment to fighting illicit brew, outlining the promising strategies taken, such as the involvement of police and chiefs, in nationwide efforts to reduce overall substance abuse.

However, following the deaths of three individuals after consuming illicit alcohol in Lanet, Nakuru County, Gachagua’s allies challenged PS Omollo to disclose the details of all 29 companies said to be dealing in second-generation alcohol. They demanded to know when and where these companies were vetted, as well as the names of the 15 companies that were vetted and licensed, along with the areas where they distribute their products.

That was after the PS stated that all the 29 active manufacturers and distillers of second-generation alcohol in the country were vetted by a multi-agency team, including the Interior Ministry, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Of these, only two were initially found fully compliant before a comprehensive re-vetting exercise involving 22 of the 27 dealers who had failed the initial test was done, leading to the licensing of 13 additional manufacturers to make a total of 15.

“The PS should specifically confirm whether the 13 companies he recently licensed were intended to sell exclusively in the Mt Kenya region and if he vetted them entirely by himself,” the legislators demanded.

Not satisfied, they further urged the government to clarify the steps being taken to curb the resurgence of illicit alcohol in regions like Mt Kenya, despite the claimed vetting of manufacturers and distillers.

Ever since the impeachment of Deputy President (former) Rigathi Gachagua started, the Kenyan political scene has been lively, and politics has been sweet—sweeter than what Radio Maisha sports presenter Stephen Mukangai usually says is the sweetest thing in the whole world, followed by football. If you know, you know.

Yesterday, the embattled Deputy President was discharged from Karen Hospital, where he had been admitted on the very day he was supposed to appear before the Senate for cross-examination on the charges leading to his impeachment.

He said Dr Gikonyo, who has been his doctor for the past 20 years, told him that if only he had delayed for another twenty minutes, maybe this could have been one of the longest weekends in the country’s history, with Mashujaa Day and a state burial in line. But who knows if he would have even been accorded a state burial under President William Ruto, whom he now refers to as “vicious?”

I am not being insensitive. Gachagua himself told journalists yesterday that, long before his impeachment process began, the President had tried to kill him twice. “Undercover police accessed my room on August 30, but we detected it. Again, on September 3, while in Nyeri, there was an attempt to poison me,” Gachagua claimed.

“For the last one year, it has been very difficult for me, but I am a very persevering and enduring man,” he added.

The embattled DP, insisting that he is not yet the former Deputy President because the courts still have to determine the active case concerning his impeachment—having barred the swearing-in of Prof Kithure Kindiki as the new DP after his nomination by the President to replace him—revealed that by Sunday, when he was being discharged from the hospital, the government had already withdrawn his security detail and recalled the state vehicles he used.

Adding to the political drama, Gachagua stated that during Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kwale, private helicopter owners at Wilson Airport were reportedly instructed not to fly him there. Consequently, he had to return home in his private Toyota RAV4, driven by his son.

During his interview with reporters, while maintaining his stance of being a truthful man, Gachagua said he believes he is being hounded by President William Ruto for telling him the truth.

“This is the most unfortunate thing that has ever happened in this country—that you can be so vicious to a man who helped you become president,” said the troubled DP, pausing before continuing. “And the crime of this man? Telling you the truth. ‘Don’t evict people without compensation, Mr. President. Mr. President, don’t overtax people; you are killing them, you are killing their businesses. Don’t force the housing program on the people. If people don’t want these houses, don’t force them.'”

Taking this into account and assuming that President William Ruto is hard to work with, as admitted by nominated Member of Parliament Sabina Chege, who faulted him for what she calls doing everything instead of delegating duties and making all decisions in the government, let’s take a look at what Oscar Sudi said one day before Gachagua was released from the hospital:

A day before the DP left Karen Hospital, Sudi, the Kapseret MP and a very close confidant of President Ruto, was in Meru for a dowry payment ceremony, traditionally referred to as “ruracio” in Agikuyu culture. Invited to speak, he offered this advice:

“I have two things to tell you, Macharia (the fiancé, who works for Sudi), and your wife. Marriage has a lot of challenges, but the most important thing that will keep it alive is respect. When you respect each other, things become easy,” said the MP.

Every household with a husband and wife is like the government. Respect is what will keep you in government if you are in government. Macharia, you are like the president, and your wife is like the deputy.

“So, deputy, don’t be a know-it-all to the president, or things will boil over. Everybody should know their rightful place,” he advised.

“You saw what went down in Nairobi some days back (referring to Gachagua’s impeachment). It was because of issues like that. When Macharia is leading the way, don’t be a know-all and walk too closely behind him. He is the leader, and you should give him his space,” the MP told the bride-to-be, subtly hinting at the tension between the President and Gachagua.

In summary, Gachagua’s claims of being sidelined appear to align with his recent experience, including the withdrawal of state privileges and subtle warnings from allies of the President like Sudi. His outspoken nature and the President’s reputed intolerance for dissent likely contributed to his ousting.

Lastly, it is still not clear what MP Otiende Amollo meant by saying that Gachagua’s impeachment was an act of saving him from himself. Furthermore, Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja’s remarks that when a manager dislikes you, there’s little you can do because if you go back to work, you can even find the doors to your office locked adds to the uncertainty.