Kenya's Political Firestorm: Gachagua Blasts Ruto Over Lawlessness and Economic Mismanagement

Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua delivered a critical assessment of President William Ruto’s four-year tenure during a media briefing in Nairobi on August 11, 2026. Gachagua accused President Ruto of a profound betrayal of the trust Kenyans placed in him, alleging a systematic abandonment of key campaign promises and an erosion of democratic principles that underpin the nation's foundation, including development blueprints like Vision 2030.

Gachagua highlighted numerous promises made by President Ruto that, according to the DCP leader, have been unfulfilled. These included commitments to uphold the rule of law, establish a secure, just, and democratic Kenya founded on the constitution, professionalize the National Police Service (NPS), safeguard human rights, protect citizens, strengthen the administration of justice, and ensure accountability of security agencies. Instead, Gachagua claimed, the Kenya Kwanza administration has allowed goonism and drug abuse to proliferate, transforming the country into a hotbed of extrajudicial killings and a 'playground' for abductors.

A significant point of contention raised was the failure to amend and operationalize the National Coroners Service Act of 2017. This amendment was intended to establish the Coroner General’s office, thereby removing the burden of probing deaths from regular police channels and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Gachagua emphasized that these proposed changes aimed to eliminate potential conflicts of interest and ensure transparency in handling unexplained deaths, enforced disappearances, or fatalities caused by the police. He lamented that this crucial promise remained unfulfilled four years into the administration's term.

The DCP leader further alleged a breakdown of law and order, accusing President Ruto of presiding over lawlessness and anarchy where 'goons' have usurped the legal mandate of the NPS. He sensationally claimed that certain figures within the security sector were financing and planning these illicit activities and orchestrating cover-ups of killings on behalf of President Ruto. As a case in point, Gachagua claimed that police officers Inspector Kenneth Kipkemboi Sang and Police Constable Bett Kiplangat were aided to flee to Uganda following the killing of Dr. Victoria Mutiso, despite being named by DCI Mohamed Amin as facilitators in the gangland-style murder. He also cited instances of goons accompanying President Ruto on development tours, particularly in Nairobi County, with authorities reportedly doing nothing to intervene.

Gachagua detailed a grim picture of human rights violations under the current administration, citing several eviction incidents and the killing of Kenyans during the 2024 and 2025 Gen Z demonstrations. Reports from lobby groups, he noted, documented over 700 cumulative cases of alleged extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances since late 2022. Specific individuals allegedly abducted in 2026 were named: Jimmy Mutava, Omwancha Clifford, Manyura Douglas, Adbulaziz Molu, Evans Otieno, Macmillan Kiarie, and Michael Oloo, alongside Brian Odhiambo in 2022. He stressed that Kenya had ceased to be a safe refuge for critics fleeing their countries, pointing to the forceful return of 36 Ugandan opposition members in Kisumu (June 2024), the abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye (November 2024), and the deportation of seven Turkiye asylum seekers (October 2024).

The issue of investor safety was also highlighted with the deportation of officials from China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) after they protested the awarding of a Sh30 billion railway tender to rivals, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). CCECC had a lower bid of Sh22 billion compared to CRBC's Sh29 billion. Following the deportation of two CCECC executives under unclear circumstances, the remaining officials in Kenya had to secure court orders to prevent their own deportation. Gachagua unequivocally stated,