Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has issued a stark warning to Public Service Vehicle operators, accusing political rivals of weaponising matatus to disrupt his public engagements and vowing that such vehicles risk destruction if used again.
In a fiery radio interview on Monday, January 12, Gachagua claimed that allies of President William Ruto have been secretly hiring PSV vehicles to ferry gangs tasked with sabotaging his meetings and those of his political associates. Speaking on Kameme FM, the former deputy president said some sacco owners may be unknowingly caught up in what he described as a dangerous political scheme.
According to Gachagua, several of the vehicles allegedly used in recent incidents operate along the Thika route, and their owners may not even be aware their fleets are being hired for violent missions. But he warned that ignorance would not shield them from consequences on the ground.
He cited an incident in Gatundu where, he claimed, more than 20 PSV vehicles were mobilised to transport goons to attack his supporters. The situation, he said, nearly spiralled out of control.
“It was a matter of minutes,” Gachagua told listeners. “Residents were ready to burn those vehicles. Some sacco owners were lucky because they had no idea what their matatus were being used for.”
His message to matatu owners was blunt and uncompromising. If they continue to lease out vehicles for such purposes, he said, they should not raise alarm if those vehicles never make it back.
The warning follows dramatic scenes on Sunday in Gatundu, where Gachagua alleges that hired goons attempted to disrupt a church service he was attending. He claimed local residents swiftly confronted and neutralised the group, whom he accused of operating under police protection.
Gachagua went further, alleging that police fired teargas inside the church, despite the presence of women, children and other congregants. He praised residents of Gatundu South for what he described as uncommon courage.
“I salute the people of Gatundu South. These are true sons and daughters of Mau Mau,” he said, lauding their resolve to shield the church, mourners and supporters from what he termed state-sponsored violence.
The former deputy president said the alleged attackers were repelled and disarmed, allowing his convoy and a series of public gatherings to proceed without further disruption.
A day earlier, Gachagua had already escalated the standoff by urging Kenyans to boycott specific matatu saccos he claims are complicit in the violence, signalling a new and volatile front in the country’s deepening political tensions.
His remarks are likely to intensify debate over the use of violence in political contests and the growing vulnerability of public transport systems to exploitation in Kenya’s charged political climate.
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