Gachagua returns as state-linked goons strike

It was not the picture-perfect return he had hoped for. Not the one his allies had in mind.

Had things gone to plan, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua would have walked out of Terminal 1B of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to a fresh bouquet of flowers, handed to him by two girls who looked dashing in peach.

Then he would have drunk some milk straight out of a traditional gourd, before possibly kneeling for prayers by the host of clergymen who had gathered to welcome him home.

And, of course, he would have said a word to the many supporters who had gathered at the airport and others who lined up along the route his convoy passed, and at the Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi.

Gachagua, who has been in the United States for 43 days, was robbed of this moment, first by the confusion that surrounded his very arrival and later by paid-up goons, who attacked people indiscriminately, injuring and stealing from them.

Journalists, including a team of which this writer was a part, were attacked by a gang of knife-wielding and stone-throwing mobsters, who vandalised our vehicle and stole a phone from a member of the team, injuring three.

Witnesses said they had seen the goons paid before they made several waves of attacks against motorists and pedestrians alike, which the police later thwarted by firing rounds in the air and tear gas.

On Wednesday, the Democracy for the Citizens Party deputy leader Cleophas Malala raised an alarm over a state-sponsored plan to disrupt Gachagua’s return with goons that he claimed involved some city lawmakers.

His remarks followed threats by the police of a possible arrest of Gachagua, which have featured in recent days.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had said the police were on high alert, citing alleged disruptions courtesy of Gachagua’s return.

Murkomen has flip-flopped on whether the DCP leader would be arrested, for whatever reason.

Malala would double down on these claims in rallies along Mombasa Road.

“I told you yesterday that there was a plan to arrest our party leader and take him to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations,” said Malala.

“They brought 180 police officers to the JKIA to arrest Gachagua, but the citizens blocked them from doing so.”

Gachagua arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, which touched down at 1.13 pm at Kenya’s main international airport, located east of Nairobi.

Ordinarily, passengers from the Boeing 777 plane would have departed from Terminal 1B, where a welcoming party of politicians, clergymen and supporters had gathered to receive Gachagua.

They gave security personnel a hard time at the gates as they refused to move to an area usually designated for airport greeters.

Nearly 30 minutes later, Gachagua had yet to step out of the terminal, crowded by journalists and supporters, most of whom went live on TikTok to share the moment.

When word later spread that he would be walking out of Terminal 1E, the welcoming party sprinted there.

They were mostly suspicious of the change of plans. Wary that the former DP had taken too long to emerge from the gates, many feared he had been arrested.

They first caused a scene at the terminal, pushing police officers and security personnel at the gates up the ramp that leads to the welcoming area, blocking the way for other arriving travellers.

“Msishike Gachagua wetu!” some chanted amid the push and shove.

Assurances by police officers that there was nothing up their sleeves only egged them on, and they would storm the terminal’s entrance, pushing open the door that had been closed in the commotion.

The police had done this very futile job, providing assurances, throughout most of the morning.

They had tried to corral Gachagua’s supporters into a section of the airport that would have limited the expected disruptions.

A contingent of anti-riot police officers was always present, but they seemed little interested in a clash.

They hardly used any force when the crowds surged at them. But they had blocked many of Gachagua’s supporters from accessing the airport, freezing at the gates vehicles that had people wearing DCP colours.

Others conducted a check at the main gate and only allowed staff, persons with boarding passes and journalists in, a highly unusual occurrence.

To beat these checks, some of Gachagua’s supporters had spent the night at the airport, braving the chill to welcome home a man they consider their hero.

Then at 1.52 pm, amid the commotion at Terminal 1E, a victorious cheer rang out.

It was the unmistakable sign that Gachagua, in a denim suit and checked shirt, had been sighted. Indeed, he had, and he would hoist his fist, as supporters followed suit.

His feet hardly touched the ground when he scaled down the staircase leading out of the terminal.

Gachagua mostly moved tip-toeing or was hoisted up by supporters, desperate to get the DCP leader out of there as quickly as they could.

On more than one occasion, he was fighting to tug at anything that could prevent him from stumbling down.

When assured that he was on solid ground, he would reach out for his cowboy hat, just catching it before it fell off his head.

It was not a comfortable feeling, and his face could not conceal that fact. Those around him, lost in their excitement that Gachagua was finally home, did not read his mood.

They only cared that he was back, chanting “Kingpin” and hoisting welcome-back placards and banners.

“Kujeni mmshike kama nyinyi ni wanaume (If you are man enough, come and arrest him now),” some shouted, convinced they had thwarted a plan to arrest Gachagua.

Supporters sang victory songs, too, and chanted “Wantam”, a slogan Gachagua coined to suggest President William Ruto would only serve a single term in office. The former DP did not speak. He just waved. And smiled.

"If we made you President, we can also make you an ordinary citizen," Nyandarua Senator John Methu would say at the stops.

For the supporters, the moment was complete when a more at ease Gachagua waved at them from the sunroof of his vehicle.

That was perhaps the only picture-perfect bit of the politician’s return, which would again be marred by marauding goons who lay siege along Mombasa Road.