Didmus Barasa says Gachagua was behind state brutality during 2022 post-election protests
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa has blamed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for the state-sponsored brutality witnessed during the 2022-2023 anti-government protests, saying his actions directly contributed to Kenya’s negative human rights score in a recent United Nations report.
Speaking on K24 TV on May 13, 2025, Barasa stated that the UN’s findings were accurate, highlighting a specific period when opposition-aligned leaders organised bi-weekly demonstrations throughout the country—protests that were met with excessive police force.
“At that time, we engaged in various activities that were against human rights,” Barasa admitted.
In a startling accusation, Barasa claimed that police response to protesters worsened significantly when President William Ruto was out of the country and Gachagua was acting as head of state.
“The problem was when President William Ruto was in the country, the police appeared overwhelmed by protesters. And the response by the police, many Kenyans felt like, you know, it was not proper. But the day William Ruto was not around and the country was left in the hands of Rigathi Gachagua, the police were more aggressive. They used excessive force,” he stated.
He alleged that Gachagua not only enabled but also coordinated parallel operations involving hired gangs and members of the outlawed Mungiki sect.
“Our former deputy president had his own parallel activities with Mungiki and hired goons that went on to maim and beat people and engage in serious violations of human rights,” Barasa said.
Targeting the Kenyatta family
According to Barasa, Gachagua’s actions extended beyond protest crackdowns to targeting former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family.
“That matter even escalated to the extent that he unilaterally decided to recall the security personnel that were manning our former founding president’s houses, which was completely wrong. He scaled down the security on Mama Ngina,” Barasa alleged.
“He went even ahead to get goons and unleash them to the farm of our former president, Uhuru Kenyatta. And he took sheep and goats and cows,” he added.
The legislator mentioned that Ruto had to intervene personally to restore security for the former first family.
“It took the intervention of our own president to call the IG (Inspector General) to restore that security of the first family,” he stated.
Impact on Kenya’s image
The lawmaker emphasised that these actions not only aggravated the situation on the ground but also tarnished Kenya’s international reputation.
“The actions by Rigathi Gachagua to engage goons to cause mayhem on protesting NASA supporters in Mlolongo, in Kitengela, must have contributed to us getting that backlash from the UN that we have violated human rights. And we should all agree,” he stated.
