Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is digging in his heels, insisting that he will go ahead with his planned visit to Emurua Dikirr constituency on Friday, August 21, despite fierce resistance from local leaders and warnings from the government .
The DCP leader has vowed to travel to the Narok County constituency to condole with the family of the late MP Johana Ng'eno, who died in a helicopter crash in February, and to speak about what he claims to know regarding the circumstances surrounding the legislator's death . Gachagua has directly challenged President William Ruto's allies in the region, telling them that no amount of threats or violence will deter him from proceeding with the tour . "I will go to the Kalenjins tomorrow, in Emurua Dikirr. They have invited me there. Kasongo and Murkomen are threatening me and warning me not to set foot there. I want you to pray for me, will you?" Gachagua said at his Wamunyoro residence, daring his opponents to make good on their threats .
The move has sparked a major political showdown, with the sitting Emurua Dikirr MP, David Kipsang Keter, declaring that Gachagua is "not welcome" and should cancel the visit in the interest of peace . Keter won the May by-election on a UDA ticket, defeating Gachagua's DCP candidate Vincent Rotich, who secured 10,760 votes against Keter's 18,266 .
Gachagua, however, views those 10,000 votes as a significant achievement in what he describes as a "manipulated process," and he is determined to thank the residents who backed his party . Ahead of the trip, Gachagua has formally written to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, demanding assurances of security for himself and his supporters .
In the letter, he alleged that Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen and PS Raymond Omollo had financed the local MP to mobilise goons, warning that the chaos could be worse than the violence witnessed during the Linda Mwananchi rallies in Homa Bay . He reminded Kanja of his constitutional duty to protect life and property, and warned him that inaction could lead to consequences similar to those faced by former Police Commissioner Mohamed Ali after the 2007/08 post-election violence .
The visit is also deeply personal for Gachagua, who claims to have been a close friend of the late Ng'eno. He has called the late MP's elderly mother, Mama Mary Temas, in a video call that was shared on social media, where she warmly welcomed him to her home . Gachagua says he wants to tell her "all I know about her son's death" before he shares the information with the public .
He has alleged that he and Ng'eno were secretly recorded by the National Intelligence Service during a private meeting in Kisumu during his impeachment battle, and that Ng'eno was subsequently intimidated into supporting the impeachment motion . CS Murkomen, however, has dismissed Gachagua's claims as "made-up, cooked-up nonsense," accusing him of exploiting the death for political mileage and calling him a "hopeless, helpless and despicable human being" .
The Interior CS insisted that the crash was preliminarily attributed to bad weather, and challenged Gachagua to provide evidence for his allegations .
With the political temperature rising, all eyes are now on Emurua Dikirr as Gachagua prepares to test his strength in the Rift Valley, a region that has largely remained loyal to President Ruto.
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