Fresh details have emerged on why former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua kept away from both the State funeral service and burial of Raila Odinga, with the DCP leader pointing to alleged security threats and a wider scheme to stir ethnic divisions.
In an interview on Ramogi TV on Wednesday evening, Gachagua said he had initially planned to attend the requiem service at Nyayo National Stadium before travelling to Bondo for the burial, but abandoned both trips after receiving what he described as credible intelligence.
“I had planned to go to the Nyayo National Stadium, and I got information that some goons had been arranged to attack me so that it could create conflict between the Luo nation and the Kikuyu nation,” he daid.
He said he made a deliberate choice to stay away to avoid overshadowing what he termed a solemn moment for Odinga’s family and supporters.
“I applied my mind as a senior politician and as a strategist and I realized that it was a very important occasion for Raila Odinga and his followers, and it would have been imprudent of me to seem like I had brought chaos into a very solemn ceremony that was very important.”
The former Deputy President added that similar warnings reached him regarding the burial in Bondo, forcing him to reconsider his attendance despite earlier plans.
“I planned to go to Bondo, I also got information. Where I’m coming from, as you know, I’ve been attacked by goons in this Nairobi, and most of them have been organized by a senior civil servant from Luo Nyanza. The goons that attacked me in church in Kariobangi…in Mwiki…when I was coming from the airport…were organized by a senior politician from Nyanza who is also organizing goons in Nyanza. The ones that heckled (Siaya Governor James) Orengo were organized by the same person,” he claimed.
Gachagua argued that any confrontation targeting him in Bondo could have escalated into a broader fallout between communities, a risk he said he was not willing to take.
“I have my own intelligence, (so) I get to know what goes on in the security sector and in the country. So when I learnt that also in Bondo there were plans to attack me physically as a strategy to create a wedge between the Luo nation and the Kikuyu nation…because what would have happened if I was attacked in Bondo, the Kikuyu nation would’ve felt very bad, and (this would’ve) created enmity with the Luo nation who have nothing against me,” he stated.
Even as he spoke of the threats, Gachagua insisted that his previous engagements in the Nyanza region had been peaceful, recalling a tour alongside President William Ruto where he said he received a warm welcome.
“The last time I was in the Luo nation in the company of William Ruto when I was his deputy, I was given such rousing welcome in Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya and Kisumu. For the four days we were in Nyanza, the Luo nation welcomed me like a king,” he said.
He maintained that staying away from both events was a calculated move aimed at protecting national cohesion and ensuring the ceremonies proceeded without disruption.
“So I knew people who have dirty schemes of trying to create a wedge between the two communities wanted to attack me at Nyayo National Stadium and in Bondo to create conflict between the two communities, but I’m too smart of a politician to fall into such hands,” he added.
On his absence from Odinga’s home months after the burial, Gachagua said he had already communicated with the family and is waiting for the right moment to visit.
“I called Mama Ida Odinga and gave her my personal condolences…Pastor Dorcas and I…and we placed a request that we would like to go to Bondo, and she told us that things were still quite heavy and at an appropriate time she will give us an answer. We’re still waiting,” he said.
He underscored that he would only make the visit once invited, saying cultural respect and family consent are key.
“I was ready, with my elders and everybody, but we cannot go to a home unless the owner of that home tells us to come. She told us to wait and we’re still waiting. You cannot force yourself into somebody’s home. I’m an elder and a leader in this country, I’m also a person who respects families and homes and traditions,” he added.
