Cecily Mbarire blames Gachagua for orchestrating chaos in Embu
By Brian Malila, June 26, 2025Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire has squarely blamed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for what she claims is sponsoring and coordinating the destruction of businesses in Embu town during protests held to commemorate Gen Z demonstrators who died while resisting the 2024 Finance Bill.
Speaking at the County Government Headquarters on Thursday, June 26, 2025, flanked by county security officials and Embu senator Alexander Mundigi, Mbarire accused Gachagua of being behind the organised violence, claiming he was deliberately engineering turmoil in the region.
Without mincing words, Mbarire declared she had no fear in linking Gachagua to both the current wave of violence and last year’s unrest over the controversial Finance Bill, saying his actions were aimed at destabilising the county and country.
She criticised Gachagua’s planned two-day political visit to Embu, terming it a cruel insult to locals whose livelihoods were destroyed by protests he incited, yet he now seeks their political backing.
“Money was given out to goons. I want to tell one Rigathi Gachagua that you will not intimidate me; you cannot come here and turn Embu to a battlefield. You come here and use local leaders; you are using them as your spanner boy, this will not be tolerated at all,” she said.
The UDA chairperson questioned Gachagua’s concern for Embu residents, accusing him of causing suffering by sponsoring destruction that left hundreds jobless. She said her refusal to toe his political line had made her a target of his hostility.
She vowed to remain firm and not yield to intimidation, accusing Gachagua of trying to claw back political power through chaos and illegitimate tactics.
Mbarire further went to implicate Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji, accusing him of being Gachagua’s local agent who helped facilitate the mayhem witnessed in Embu town.
She warned Mukunji that in helping Gachagua destabilise the county, he was damaging his own political future.
She mocked his belief that backing Gachagua gives him an upper hand, saying he was the only MP from Embu and Mt Kenya East following that path, while scorning his colleagues for refusing to do so.
The governor accused Mukunji of being the first leader from Embu to bring hardship upon his own people through the destruction of their property, thus diminishing his credibility for any future run at the governorship.
She pledged to thwart any repeat of such destruction, adding that residents might need to step in to safeguard their properties should unrest flare up again.
“We will not accept any attempt to destroy businesses and property in Embu town again,” she declared.
Mbarire’s accusations come hours after Manyatta MP refuted claims of any involvement in the Wednesday, June 25, 2025, demonstrations.