Tear gas, running battles as Gachagua attends church service in Nyeri

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been tear-gassed while attending a service at Wairima ACK Church in Othaya, Nyeri County.

Gachagua took to social media to describe the ordeal, alleging the government had sent a squad to attack them while inside Wairima ACK Church, Othaya.

He added that those present, including local churchgoers, were under attack.

“We are marooned in church, being attacked with live bullets and tear gas and torched my vehicles. We ask Kenyans to pray for us to come out alive,” Gachagua wrote.

In a post on X, Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang'wa alleged that Gachagua is still being held hostage at Witima ACK Church in Othoya.

"Some of us have managed to evacuate, including women and children. About seven plain-clothed police officers are conducting the operation," he wrote.

Gachagua has on several occasions found himself at the centre of controversy after security agencies fired teargas at public gatherings where he was in attendance, including church services, funerals and political rallies.

One of the earliest incidents occurred in Limuru, Kiambu County, during a funeral service on November 28, 2024.

Gachagua alleged that he and mourners were targeted with teargas, disrupting the solemn proceedings and forcing attendees to flee.

Though official confirmation of the use of tear gas at this event remains limited, the episode highlighted growing concerns about security interventions in politically sensitive gatherings.

In July 2025, a church service at AIPCA Christ the King Church in Kahuro, Kigumo, Murang’a County, ended in chaos when police blocked roads and used teargas to disperse congregants.

Gachagua’s allies, including local political leaders, were forced to flee the scene as the fumes engulfed worshippers, many of whom were elderly or children.

Later that year, on August 2, 2025, a rally in Gilgil, Nakuru County, was disrupted when police fired tear gas at participants.

Stones were thrown in the ensuing confusion, and the rally had to be abandoned amid the panic. Similar disruptions were reported at a Narok Town rally on November 24, 2025, where police blocked access to the event and used tear gas to prevent Gachagua from addressing residents, forcing him and supporters to take an alternate route.

Church services were not spared either. On November 2025, a thanksgiving service at PCEA Kariobangi North Church in Gatundu South, Kiambu County, descended into panic when tear gas was deployed near the compound.

Congregants scattered in fear, and the incident drew condemnation from religious leaders and civil society groups. A similar event occurred on January 12, 2026, at AIPCA Church in Kiamworia, Gatundu South, where police again deployed tear gas, disrupting worshippers.

Gachagua has consistently condemned these actions, arguing that churches, funerals, and peaceful political gatherings should never be treated as battlegrounds.

He has accused the state of using security agencies to intimidate dissenting voices, emphasising that such force undermines constitutional freedoms, including the right to worship, assemble, and mourn in peace.