Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has issued a grave warning to Kenyan youth planning to take to the streets on June 25 to commemorate the first anniversary of last year’s deadly anti-tax protests, claiming there is a government-orchestrated plot to harm them.
Speaking during an interview on Kameme FM on Monday, Gachagua alleged that President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja have been hiring goons to stage-managed crowds at public events in Nairobi — and that the same hired groups may be used to violently disrupt the planned remembrance.
“I fear that if the youth take to the streets, the government and the governor of Nairobi will use goons. They will be brought from Umoja, Kayole and other places and come to kill the youth,” Gachagua claimed.
The former DP accused the state of desperation and warned that the planned commemoration could turn into a deadly trap.
“The level of desperation William Ruto and his people have is very high and it is something to think about because these children are ours and I feel so bad when blood is shed. I would urge them to not come out in the streets because they will be set up and be killed,” he cautioned.
Gachagua’s remarks come amid growing calls from civil society groups, activists, and opposition leaders to hold a public gathering in Nairobi on June 25 to honor the young people who died during last year’s Finance Bill protests.
The 2024 demonstrations, sparked by controversial tax proposals, led to a violent crackdown that left several youths dead and many others injured, drawing widespread condemnation both locally and internationally.
