Gachagua's Emurua Dikirr tour faces challenges amid heightened tension

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s planned visit to Emurua Dikirr Constituency on Friday, August 21, has sparked heightened political tension, and fears of confrontation.

A group of youths armed with clubs has warned Gachagua against entering the constituency, with two of those featured in a video circulating online identifying themselves as Chemokwo and Cheptalamwa Kapon.

The youths said they were acting on instructions from their “boss” and vowed that Gachagua would not set foot in Emurua Dikirr.

The planned tour has also drawn opposition from the area MP, David Kipsang Keter, who has criticised political mobilisation efforts by Gachagua in the constituency.

“We will not allow outsiders to come and test political gadgets in our backyard,” Keter told supporters, arguing that residents had already made their political choices.

Keter won the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary seat in the May 2026 by-election and has since been seeking to consolidate his political base amid growing competition from rival political formations.

However, Benard Ngeno, popularly known as Buluu and a former personal assistant to the late Johana Ng’eno, sought to downplay fears of unrest, saying the constituency remained peaceful.

“We are very peaceful people,” Ngeno said, while noting that residents would be engaged in several activities on August 21.

He said an empowerment programme for boda boda riders was among the activities planned for the day and suggested that Gachagua could have chosen another date when more residents would be available to attend his meeting.

Gachagua has nevertheless maintained that he will visit Emurua Dikirr.

In a letter addressed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Gachagua formally notified the police of his planned visit and sought assurances that his entourage, supporters and residents would be protected.

He said he would be visiting the constituency at the invitation of DCP candidate Vincent Rotich and would join supporters and leaders for a thanksgiving event.

Gachagua also raised concerns over threats allegedly issued against his visit, saying some of the statements had been recorded on video and circulated through social and mainstream media.

In the letter, Gachagua accused Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and Keter of allegedly planning to mobilise goons and plain-clothes police officers to disrupt his visit.

“I am aware that the CS for Interior and Coordination of National Government, Mr. Kipchumba Murkomen, and the PS for Interior Mr. Raymond Omollo have financed Mr. Kipsang to mobilise goons and plain-clothes police officers to cause mayhem of a higher magnitude than the Homa Bay chaos over the weekend. This, you are adequately aware of. Be well informed that the instructions issued to Mr. Kipsang are that the Homa Bay chaos should be a shadow of what needs to happen in Emurua Dikirr,” read the letter in part.

He further linked the alleged plans to the violence witnessed in Homa Bay over the weekend, warning that a similar situation could occur in Emurua Dikirr.

The allegations have not been independently established.

Gachagua challenged Kanja to guarantee the safety of his entourage and supporters and to demonstrate that adequate security measures had been put in place ahead of the visit.

He also accused the police leadership of failing to act on evidence he said he had previously submitted regarding attacks against him.

The former deputy president further warned Kanja that he could face international criminal accountability if the police failed to protect citizens, invoking the International Criminal Court and Kenya’s experience following the 2007–08 post-election violence.

The confrontation comes against the backdrop of an increasingly competitive political environment in the South Rift.

Emurua Dikirr is widely regarded as a stronghold of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the ruling party, while Gachagua has been working to expand his political influence in the Rift Valley and challenge President William Ruto’s dominance in the region.

Gachagua has repeatedly presented himself as a champion of farmers and the region’s agrarian economy while advancing a political narrative centered on marginalisation.