Nairobi — Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a stern warning to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over alleged plans to instigate violence in Ol Kalou, as political temperatures continue to rise ahead of the July 16 parliamentary by-election.
In a statement, Murkomen accused Gachagua of engaging in what he described as "reverse psychology" and warned against any attempts to foment unrest.
"Mr Rigathi Gachagua, we know your gimmicks and juvenile attempts at reverse psychology. Try violence in Ol Kalou and you will see," Murkomen warned.
"To anyone being recruited to violence by Mr Gachagua, keep off because the consequences will be dire."
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The CS was responding to claims by Gachagua, who alleged that the government had deployed security operatives and state-sponsored goons to intimidate supporters of his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) in Ol Kalou.
In a statement posted on social media, Gachagua claimed that a "Nairobi Sierra killer squad" linked to Murkomen had been sent to the area to disrupt DCP campaigns.
"Mr. Kipchumba Murkomen has dispatched Nairobi Sierra killer squad that attacked Witima ACK Church to cause mayhem in Ol Kalou. They arrived three hours ago and started abductions and indiscriminate beatings on DCP campaigners," Gachagua claimed.
"Our teams are held up at Royal Garden Hotel under brutal police and State-sponsored militia. Goons are currently breaking into the hotel. Thank you Ol Kalou people for resisting this killer squad. Ol Kalou is not Mbeere!"
We could not independently verify Gachagua's allegations, and Murkomen did not directly address the specific claims of abductions or assaults in his response.
The exchange marks the latest escalation in an increasingly bitter political contest that has turned the Ol Kalou by-election into a key battleground between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Gachagua's DCP.
The race is widely viewed as an early test of political influence in the Mt Kenya region, where both parties are seeking to demonstrate their strength following Gachagua's fallout with President William Ruto.
The opposition has repeatedly accused the government of deploying state resources to influence the outcome of the election.
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Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, a close ally of Gachagua, recently claimed Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries had transformed official government programmes into campaign events for the UDA candidate.
"The Cabinet Secretaries have now become shameless. They are putting their faces, those of PSs and that of the candidate on government programmes,"Muriu said.
"They are issuing title deeds and building markets using public resources to galvanise support for the UDA candidate. If that is not malpractice, what is it?"
The government has not publicly responded to those allegations.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has cleared nine candidates to contest the Ol Kalou parliamentary seat, with voters expected to head to the polls on July 16.
The contest is expected to be dominated by DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho, a former MCA who won the party primaries with 12,957 votes, defeating Paul Waiganjo, who garnered 4,978 votes.
UDA has fielded Samuel Muchina Nyaga, while several other candidates, including Wakili Kiragu Wathuta and Isaac Ndirangu, are also in the race.
Following their clearance by the electoral commission in late May, all nine candidates pledged to conduct peaceful campaigns despite the heightened political rivalry.
