Gachagua responds to Azimio ICC letter, says State will protect police boss

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says the government will protect Inspector-General (IG) of Police Japheth Koome from alleged planned intimidation by the opposition.

This comes after Azimio formally sought the intervention of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, asking the court’s prosecutor to investigate the IG.

In a letter to the ICC, the coalition has accused Mr Koome of violating the Constitution by declaring the protests illegal.

Speaking in Nyandarua County on Saturday, the DP accused the opposition of trying to intimidate and harass Mr Koome for doing his job. He said the government would protect the IG from any kind of intimidation.

“They are trying to intimidate our Inspector-General of Police but I assure the IG ... you continue doing your work, you are a very professional IG doing your work professionally,” said the DP. “The government of President William Ruto will protect you fully. You should not be harassed by anybody.”

While defending the IG from accusations by Azimio, Mr Gachagua said that what Mr Koome did was only to protect lives and property.

“Had they not come to the streets, there would have been no issues between the police and protestors. Let them keep their people at home. If they come to the streets again, do what you did. Protect lives and property according to the law,” he said.

In the letter, Azimio leader Raila Odinga, through lawyer Paul Mwangi, asked ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to submit detailed information on the current situation in Kenya to the court’s pre-trial chamber for authorisation of investigations.

But Mr Gachagua said Azimio supporters are the ones who should be investigated and taken to the Hague-based court.

“In fact, the people who should be taken to the ICC are the Azimio characters who went to the streets and destroyed people’s property,” said the DP during a tree-planting exercise at Shamata Secondary school in Ndaragwa constituency.

Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, who had also accompanied the DP, said the Constitution is very clear on the protection of property.

“Let them do peaceful demonstrations. If they destroy property, let them face the full force of the law. We are eagerly waiting for the response from the ICC,” said Mr Mandago.

The Deputy President, at the same time, gave Azimio “permission” to go back to the streets. He said the government will protect property from destruction in case the protests begin and that there will be no tolerance to any plans involving property destruction.

“We have sent Mr Odinga to Parliament to raise his issues there as the President. I have no time to hold talks with him. Umesema utarudi kwa barabara. Si urudi? Sisi hatuna shida. Barabara hazijaenda mahali bora tu usiharibu mali ya watu. Alikuwa anatisha watoto wa Cerelac lakini sisi ni chuma za kitambo. (He is threatening to go back to the streets, and we have no problem. The streets have not gone nowhere, but let them not destroy any property belonging to the people of Kenya. He used to threaten Cerelac babies but we are time-tested metal),” said the DP.

Mr Gachagua, who was accompanied by leaders from Nyandarua led by Governor Kiarie Badilisha, Senator John Methu and others from the Mt Kenya region, said the government is keen on reviving stalled development projects initiated by the former administration in the region.

He tasked Lands CS Zachary Njeru, who was also in attendance, to ensure all the colonial villages in the county and the entire Mt Kenya region were issued with title deeds in two years’ time.

“The issues of colonial villages must be solved once and for all. I have asked the CS to ensure our people, who live in these villages, are issued with title deeds,” he said, announcing that the CS had carried 89 title deeds for the Kambaa colonial village in Shamata.

He regretted that residents living in colonial villages have continued to suffer for decades yet the British government had compensated them after the independence.

“The 30 million pounds that had been given by our colonisers went to the pockets of selected individuals who were in power then. They used the money to buy large tracts of land and today the land they bought is lying idle and only antelopes and gazelles are grazing there,” he said.

The DP at the same time tasked Environment CS Soipan Tuya to pursue interventions for Lake Ol Bollosat, which has completely dried up.

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