Former Deputy President and current DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua experienced another incident of teargassing while attending a prayer service in Othaya, Nyeri County.
Raw images from the scene depict the beleaguered opposition leader fleeing for safety, leaping over a barbed wire fence as he was escorted by individuals presumed to be his aides. Disturbingly, other images from the church captured children in distress, crying after being exposed to teargas.
The motives behind the attack on Gachagua remain unclear. Several leaders, among them Gachagua’s deputy party leader Cleophas Malala, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, among others have strongly castigated the attacks, terming them outdated. The leaders have morover linked the attacks on former Deputy President to the government and in particular, President William Ruto.
Less than three months ago, Gachagua and fellow DCP politicians faced a similar ordeal when they were teargassed during a prayer meeting at Kariobangi North Presbyterian Church. They had gathered to express gratitude following a by-election victory for the DCP candidate in the Kariobangi North Ward seat.
In a related incident in Kiambu County, assailants disrupted a church gathering, creating chaos. The reasons behind the series of attacks targeting Gachagua continue to elude clarity.
