Nyutu defends Gachagua over 2027 elections violence remarks
Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu has become the latest politician in defense of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who came under fire over his recent controversial remarks on election rigging and post-election violence.
Gachagua, in a media interview on May 16, 2025, warned that electoral malpractice in the 2027 elections could lead to a repeat of the 2007/2008 post-election violence — a statement that has drawn significant backlash.
Speaking on a local TV station on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, Nyutu lamented over what he said were deliberate attempts to misinterpret the comments.
“We have had people condemn Gachagua’s comments over the 2027 polls. Everybody has deliberately ignored the first part of his statement: If the IEBC messes up and forces Ruto on Kenyans…,” he stated.
The senator also called out Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, citing him for a selective interpretation of Gachagua’s words instead of committing to polls’ credibility.
Murkomen, while responding to Gachagua, asserted that the government will not tolerate threats of political unrest.
“I have not had Murkomen say or give any guarantees that the elections will not be messed up. He is only going to the second part and leaving the most important part,” he added.
Nyutu stressed that the issue of the 2027 polls remains a critical matter, stressing the need for public confidence and trust in the entire process.
“It is important that IEBC make a deliberate decision to ensure that the 2027 elections are free and fair. Nobody wants the country to be plunged into chaos. More importantly, the issues of the proposed commissioner should be done away with, and the national assembly, before approving these names, ought to convincingly deal with the matter to instil confidence in the chair and commissioners,” he opined.
This comes after People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua also sought to put Gachagua’s remarks in context.
Speaking during an interview on Sunday night, May 18, 2025, after being deported back into the country, Karua said Gachagua’s statements have been taken out of context and do not amount to incitement or criminality as claimed by the government.
“The context in which he said so was that he was issuing a warning not to tamper, and that tampering can bring civil strife to the country. And we have seen what tempering does, so there were Azimio demonstrations before Raila Odinga made some rapprochement with Ruto. Wasn’t that civil strife made by tampering with the electoral process? Have the remarks by the former DP been any different from the realities we have seen?” Karua said.
She went further to question the government’s aggressive reaction to Gachagua’s remarks, suggesting that their discomfort may be a sign of guilt.
“It’s a warning to them. Why are they jumping around? Is it that they have been caught red-handed? They should stop haunting Gachagua as if he is a criminal; they should watch their steps and desist from manipulating the processes.”
DCP Deputy Party leader Cleopahs Malala also defended Gachagua over the topic.
