DCP Party leader Rigathi Gachagua during an exclusive interview with NTV at his Karen home on June 27, 2025.
The skunk of death, violence and destruction that happened during Wednesday’s widespread protests is being thrown about by politicians and stakeholders, with opposing camps hurling it back and forth.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen pointed an accusing finger at anti-government factions as former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua thought President William Ruto has questions to answer.
Pro-government MPs, on the other hand, want Mr Gachagua to own the skunk.
On his part, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki thinks anti-government formations are to blame.
What began as a youth-led demonstration to honour fellow youth slain in the push for good governance has exploded into a national blame game.
With streets caked in blood, some businesses in ruins, and trust in authority at an all-time low, top leaders are accusing each other of fuelling the violence that rocked the country.
From allegations of police brutality and state-sponsored looting to claims of a politically-funded uprising, the country is now awash in accusations as calls for justice and reform grow louder.
Mr Murkomen has described the actions as “an orchestrated campaign of terror disguised as civic expression”.
In a press statement, Mr Murkomen dismissed the protests as anything but peaceful, accusing unnamed political actors of funding and instigating violence aimed at toppling the government.
“What unfolded [on Wednesday] was not a protest. It was terrorism disguised as dissent. It was deliberate. It was coordinated. It was funded. It was premeditated and politically instigated,” he said.
Mr Murkomen claimed that the attackers targeted key infrastructure and homes of pro-government politicians, including National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and MPs Kimani Kuria, Eric Wamumbi, Njoroge Wainaina and Mwangi Kiunjuri.
“The mobilised protestors along Kiambu and Thika roads were chanting ‘it is time to take over power’ and ‘occupy State House’. The massive looting had a clear motive to cause fear and target properties of politicians and civilians allied to the government,” he said.
Mr Murkomen also took a swipe at church leaders and foreign diplomats who had urged the government to respect the right to peaceful protest.
The minister assured Kenyans that security agencies have launched full-scale investigations into the violence and that arrests will follow.
“We are coming for you hard,” he declared.
Mr Murkomen further accused the media of playing an active role in mobilising recent anti-government protests, warning that the government will not hesitate to shut down stations deemed a threat to national security.
In contrast, Mr Gachagua has accused President Ruto of betraying Kenyan youth and orchestrating a State-sponsored campaign of violence and deception during the recent protests.
President William Ruto makes his remarks during the World Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Day celebrations at KICC, Nairobi, on June 27, 2025.
Mr Gachagua directly blamed the Head of State for the unrest, alleging that the government had turned against the very youth it once promised to uplift.
“The cause of the Gen Z protests is well-known by the government and every Kenyan. Mr Ruto, you know you promised our young people jobs and economic liberation. You know what you have delivered to them and their parents,” said the former Deputy President.
He alleged that peaceful demonstrators were blocked on Kiambu and Thika roads while looters were allowed unfettered access to Nairobi’s central business district under police watch.
“You changed tact, Mr Ruto. Goons were instructed to loot and destroy property, all in a ploy to paint the Gen Z protestors as violent,” claimed Mr Gachagua.
He accused the Interior ministry of being complicit, claiming that the police facilitated the attacks and that major TV signals were deliberately shut down to conceal the orchestrated destruction.
Mr Gachagua, too, is on the line of fire from pro-government lawmakers.
In a tense parliamentary session on Thursday, MPs singled out Mr Gachagua as the sponsor of the protests.
DCP Party leader Rigathi Gachagua during an exclusive interview with NTV at his Karen home on June 27, 2025.
Minority Leader Junet Mohamed said that a section of the MPs was used to mobilise protesters who showed up on the streets.
“There was no Gen Z demonstration. We must say the truth. What we saw was a group of youths who were mobilised by colleagues in this house to bring goons and make sure that things are not working in this country,” Mr Mohamed said.
Kimili MP Didmus Barasa called for immediate arrest of the former DP, accusing him of inciting young Kenyans to destroy the Kenya Kwanza government.
Trained its guns on Gachagua
Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri told the Daily Nation that the former deputy president has teamed up with a few members of the clergy to advocate for civil unrest in the country.
But as President Ruto's brigade trained its guns on Mr Gachagua, Kajiado North MP Mr Onesmus Ngogoyo dared them to arrest the former DP.
“You are the government...the buck of enforcement is flatly on your desk. Instead of trying to spread propaganda that Mr Gachagua incited youths to violence, just arrest him and go prove your case in a court of law,” he said.
“A whole President in tow with a deputy president and security bosses are walking around, trying [an] escapist jig of blaming an innocent man over government recklessness that is inviting restlessness across the country,” he added.
Prof Kindiki, on the other hand, said the raiding of police stations where some guns and bullets were stolen points to an ulterior motive.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and other opposition leaders lay wreaths to commemorate the first anniversary of victims of the 2024 Gen Z protests on June 25, 2025.
“That shows you all the people who were responsible for organising the chaos and mayhem had a target bigger than what was stated to be the target for [Wednesday’s] events,” he claimed on Thursday.
However, some traders say the government is to blame for the losses they incurred. They accuse the government of duping them that their goods would be protected during the protests.
Mr Juma Kamau, 40 who runs an electronics shop, said the traders usually hire private security personnel to man their premises. But earlier in the week, they were urged to keep away the personnel as their businesses would be protected by the police.
“We usually buy them clubs and get them outside the shops. But due to the information about goons planning to infiltrate the protests, we were warned not to do it. We were told that the government will deploy officers to guard the promises and we adhered to that,” Mr Kamau said.
His electronics shop was vandalised and goods worth Sh1 million stolen.
Additional reporting by Mwangi Muiruri
