Nairobi — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has warned that Kenya is becoming unsafe for foreigners, accusing the Ruto administration of allowing a pattern of cross-border abductions, forced deportations and alleged transnational repression.
Gachagua called on foreign embassies and diplomatic missions accredited to Kenya to take steps to protect their citizens and staff, arguing that the alleged incidents have raised serious concerns about the safety of foreigners in the country.
"Foreigners are not safe, Investors are not safe, no one in Kenya is safe," Gachagua said while presenting his four-year accountability statement and performance audit of President William Ruto's administration on Tuesday.
"I ask the members of all our Development Partners and Foreign Embassies accredited to Kenya, to ensure that their staff and citizens are safe in Kenya."
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Gachagua cited several cases involving foreign nationals and opposition figures whom he claimed were abducted, detained or forcibly deported from Kenya.
Among the cases he highlighted was the alleged forced return to Uganda of 36 Ugandan opposition supporters on July 24, 2024, following what he described as a joint Kenyan-Ugandan security operation.
He also cited the October 2024 abduction of seven Turkish asylum seekers in Nairobi by masked men, saying Kenya later confirmed that four were forcibly deported to Turkey in a joint security operation.
Gachagua said the deportation attracted condemnation from the UN refugee agency and human rights organisations.
He further pointed to the November 2024 abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye while he was visiting Nairobi.
According to Gachagua, Kenyan officials denied knowledge of the incident while Ugandan authorities maintained that the operation had been coordinated.
The former Deputy President also cited the case of Tanzanian journalist and human rights activist Maria Sarungi, whom he said was nearly abducted in Nairobi in January 2025.
He further alleged that Zimbabwean constitutional lawyer and human rights defender Brian Kagoro was detained and deported from Kenya in February 2026 after being intercepted by immigration and National Intelligence Service officers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Gachagua said Kagoro was held for more than 10 hours before being put on a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.
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The former Deputy President also claimed that two officials from China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation were deported from Kenya in March 2026 amid a dispute surrounding the KSh30 billion Kenya Railway City tender.
'No foreigner is safe'
Gachagua said the cases demonstrated what he described as a wider deterioration in security and respect for the rule of law under the current administration.
"I must say Kenyans are not safe, our children are not safe, investors are not safe, tourists are not safe and no foreigner is safe," he said.
He urged foreign governments to pay closer attention to the security of their nationals living, working or travelling in Kenya.
The former Deputy President's warning comes as he seeks to portray the Ruto administration's record on security and human rights as a departure from its 2022 campaign promise to build a secure, just and democratic Kenya founded on the Constitution and the rule of law.
Gachagua accused the government of failing to protect constitutional freedoms and allowing security agencies to operate outside the law.
His report also cited alleged abductions of Kenyan citizens and activists, including Michael Oloo, Evans Otieno Omondi, Abdulaziz Duba Molu, Davies Lichuma, Omwancha Clifford Evans, Manyura Morrissey Douglas, Jimmy Mutava Mwanzi and Dennis Chege.
Gachagua said the alleged cases reinforced his argument that Kenya's security environment has deteriorated under Ruto.
The government has not responded to Gachagua's latest allegations.
