There was drama in Nyeri Town on Wednesday, November 4, as residents briefly engaged police in running battles.
Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thang’wa, alongside his counterparts Nyandarua Senator John Methu, Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu and MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, were among the leaders who were in Nyeri Town to present themselves to the DCI.
During a meeting with Nyeri residents, things almost took a turn for the worse as residents turned rowdy against police.
In videos obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, irate youth were seen shouting anti-government chants as they attempted to chase away police.
Nyeri residents listen to Rigathi Gachagua allies on Wednesday, December 4 2024. PHOTO/ Courtesy.
At one point, Senator Thang’wa addressed the residents, taking a swipe at the police, whom he accused of attempting to disrupt the meeting.
“We want to tell the police, we respect them. We know who has sent you. We are not interested in you but the big fish who sent you,” the Senator said amid loud cheers from the crowd.
On Wednesday, Gachagua’s allies including Wamuchomba alleged there were intimidation tactics in place to scare off allies of the former Deputy President.
“Why are all politicians who were there not asked to record police statements? Wamuchomba posed. “We are feeling unsafe. We cannot call each other with normal phones because they are tapped. We are afraid because we don’t know what is being planned around our lives.”
The latest incident came just days after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)summoned Senator Thang’wa over Thursday’s Limuru funeral mayhem which allegedly targeted Gachagua.
A day after the drama, the Senator said in a statement that the summon by authorities was an intimidation tactic by the State, adding that he was ready to present himself at the DCI offices in Nyeri.
“They refuse to meet us at the CID headquarters on Kiambu Road but summon us to Nyeri over an incident that occurred in Limuru. This intimidation will neither intimidate nor silence us. See you in Nyeri,” the Senator said on November 29.
Alongside Wamuchomba, Senator Thang’wa has maintained his close ties to Gachagua, despite the former Deputy President’s woes since his impeachment.
Embakasi West Member of Parliament Benjamin Gathiru alias Mejja Donk(right) with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during a church service at AIPCA Kangari, Kigumo in Murang’a County on November 24.
Rigathi Gachagua.