Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that he skipped former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s state funeral and burial due to intelligence about a potential assassination plot.
Speaking on Inooro TV on Sunday, November 16, Gachagua said he was prepared to attend both the Nyayo Stadium funeral and the burial in Bondo. However, he alleged that senior government officials had orchestrated a plan for police officers, disguised as civilians, to attack him.
“I was very prepared to go to the national stadium, but some police told me not to go because the government had planned to use some officers to attack me so that it may be said that people from the Nyanza region attacked me, and after I knew that, I said I cannot risk it,” Gachagua explained.
He further claimed that a similar plan was in place when he intended to visit Bondo, allegedly aimed at creating tension between communities. “I then said I would go to Bondo, and the official had arranged the same plan so that they could attack and kill me to trigger enmity between our communities. I know President Ruto’s administration very well,” he added.
Despite these threats, Gachagua confirmed that he plans to visit Raila’s home in Bondo during the first week of December to pay his last respects. He will lead a delegation of elders, church leaders, and other community representatives from the Mount Kenya region.
Gachagua emphasized that his visit aims to offer condolences and reinforce the friendship between the Mount Kenya and Nyanza communities. “We were never friends with Raila, and we never listened to each other, but it was nothing personal; it was all about politics,” he said.
He also criticized President William Ruto and other government officials for publicly praising Raila during the funeral, claiming their admiration was insincere. “The lies that were there, I just can’t handle them. Ruto and other government officials lied the way they liked Raila, and yet they did not. The only person who spoke the truth in that burial was Kalonzo because he had stayed with him for 15 years,” Gachagua noted.
Gachagua concluded by expressing his commitment to growing his DCP party to a level comparable to Raila’s ODM, while honoring Raila’s legacy.
