Another Gachagua event disrupted amid rising security tensions

A church service in Nyeri county attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua descended into chaos on Sunday after armed police officers lobbed tear gas inside the sanctuary.

This forced worshippers at the Witima ACK Church in Othaya to flee for safety and almost triggered a stampede.

The incident triggered violent confrontations between police and Gachagua’s supporters, leaving several people injured and vehicles destroyed.

Panic gripped the congregation as tear gas filled the church, with young children crying as worshippers scrambled to escape.

Gachagua and clerics attending the service were forced to use alternative routes as everyone scampered for safety.

Initially, Gachagua’s allies alleged the DCP leader was kidnapped during the melee.

Witnesses said individuals in plain clothes, suspected to be police officers, arrived at the church and began firing tear gas canisters, trapping worshippers inside.

Videos seen by the Star show armed men firing guns and lobbying tear gas toward the church, while vehicles parked outside—including those linked to Gachagua—were vandalised.

The disruption forced Gachagua to cancel a planned political engagement in Othaya—one of the constituencies in his Nyeri stronghold.

“I request the thousands of my supporters waiting for me in Othaya town and Kiawara to peacefully go home. Our vehicles have been disabled and sound systems dismantled,” Gachagua said.

He further alleged that heavily armed officers had been deployed to target him, claiming the operation had failed to “assassinate” him inside the church.

Earlier, Gachagua took to social media to describe the ordeal, alleging that the government had deployed a squad to attack worshippers inside the church.

“We are marooned in church, being attacked with live bullets and tear gas, and our vehicles have been torched. We ask Kenyans to pray for us to come out alive,” he posted.

Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa also claimed that Gachagua had been held hostage during the operation, alleging that plain-clothed police officers were involved.

This was not an isolated incident. In recent months, several of Gachagua’s public engagements—including church services, funerals and political rallies—have been disrupted by police.

In July 2025, a church service at AIPCA Christ the King Church in Kahuro, Kigumo, Murang’a county, ended in chaos after police blocked access roads and dispersed congregants using tear gas.

Many worshippers, including elderly persons and children, were affected.

On August 2, 2025, a rally in Gilgil, Nakuru county, was similarly disrupted after police fired tear gas, forcing the event to be abandoned amid stone-throwing and panic.

Another rally in Narok town on November 24, 2025, was blocked by police, who used tear gas to prevent Gachagua from addressing residents.

Church gatherings were also targeted later in the year.

In November 2025, a thanksgiving service at PCEA Kariobangi North Church in Gatundu South, Kiambu county, descended into panic after tear gas was deployed near the church compound.

The repeated incidents have heightened concerns over the use of security interventions at politically sensitive gatherings, particularly those held in places of worship.