Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has vowed to deal firmly with opposition chief Raila Odinga’s planned rallies.
“One of my duties is to defend the president…..Mr. President, please allow me to deal with that man (Raila)….I am the real Mau Mau for him,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua, who spoke during thanksgiving in Kirinyaga on Sunday, said Raila’s brand of politics is well known since 1997.
“We have seen from far what you(Raila) and that is what you have done all the years,” he said.
“You came destroyed the Moi government in 1997….in 2007 you came with nusu mkate…. in 2013 you tried and failed….. in 2017 you instilled fear in Uhuru and he called you for handshake and destroyed government,” he said.
Mr. Gachagua you killed a lot of people including fellow Kikuyus in Molo in 1992 when you were Moi’s D.O. there and your effort was to save the Moi dictatorship. How come you were not able to save him after killing all those people?
How did Raila and other Kenyans in the Opposition movement still manage to destroy the Moi dictatorship despite all your efforts? Try to learn from your own history as a political thug. It hasn’t worked very well, has it?
Politics of confrontation is very dangerous. Kenyans know that because they have been through it.
We know what it means to be tortured to near death at Nyayo House and locked up for years in jail. Nyayo House and Kamiti prison were my homes for some time together with many patriotic Kenyans. Kenyan patriots were killed at Nyayo House when I was there. We knew that as it was happening. You didn’t know if you were next. You were ready for it.
We don’t want to go back there but if we have to, we will do exactly that. Let us deal with these problems in a peaceful and respectful way from both sides. Threats will not work with Kenyans. Open direct communication and accountability will. Try that first. Everything is on the table now.
I still remember very vividly the words my mother used to say when she visited me at Kamiti Prison. “There are other people with you there”. That is what my mom used to say through the wire mesh at Kamiti.
Well, there are millions of Kenyans who want to know if our electoral system is good for the country and for our democracy. Bring it at the rally on Monday and move to the next level. There are a lot of Kenyans with you there. Bring it on.
Adongo Ogony is a Kenyan Human Rights Activist and a Writer who lives in Toronto, Canada