Belgut MP: Gachagua was a brutal enforcer during KANU era
By Kenneth Mwenda, July 7, 2025Belgut MP Nelson Koech continued his sharp criticism of political leaders calling for Saba Saba demonstrations, dragging former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua into the debate by highlighting his past role as a District Officer (DO) under the KANU regime.
Speaking during a Monday morning interview in a local TV station, on July 7, 2025, Koech accused Gachagua of being one of the regime’s most feared enforcers, saying it was ironic for such figures to now be seen as champions of democracy or constitutionalism.
“Look, for instance, at the DCP party leader, Rigathi Gachagua,” Koech said. “As a DO at that time, he was a brutal enforcer of the state, someone who at all costs made sure anyone who was against the KANU regime was brutalised.”
Koech questioned the credibility of leaders who once served in oppressive systems and are now either leading or being positioned as defenders of the same freedoms they once trampled.
Koech questions Kalonzo’s past
His remarks come just minutes after he blasted Kalonzo Musyoka for leading Saba Saba calls despite serving as KANU’s organising secretary during its repressive years.
“When you hear someone like the party leader of Robert Mbui, Kalonzo Musyoka, asking Kenyans yesterday to come out and demonstrate on Saba Saba, for I don’t know what reason, yet he was the organising secretary of KANU at that time,” Koech said.
“The people who were harassing Kenyans then, Kalonzo was a serious defender of KANU, that oppressed, as they say, the people of this country.”
According to Koech, Kenyans must be wary of “political reinvention” by figures who played a role in historical injustices.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto, whom Koech defended over the State House chapel issue, has maintained that his administration upholds constitutional rights, including the right to worship and peaceful assembly, but has urged citizens to reject manipulation by leaders driven by self-interest.