Kenya’s former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has alleged that an assassination plot was carried out during an attack on a church service in Othaya, in Nyeri County, and claims the incident involved bullets and tear gas.
Gachagua—who was removed from office after a 2024 impeachment—said the assault was conducted by a “gang of rogue police officers,” according to the account reported by the BBC News Source. The former deputy president, a wealthy businessman from Kenya’s Mount Kenya region, has since emerged as a prominent critic of President William Ruto.
He reported that he was escorted to safety by his security team as the attack disrupted what was described as an ongoing worship service. The account includes timing details: police reports indicated a tear-gas canister was thrown inside St Peters Anglican Church at 11:00 local time (08:00 GMT), interrupting the gathering.
The allegations come amid heightened political tension following Gachagua’s dramatic fall from power. Earlier, Kenyan courts had upheld his impeachment, a decision that barred him from holding public office and further constrained any immediate political ambitions.
That impeachment outcome was described by the BBC as a major setback: a Kenyan court upheld the 2024 process and dismissed Gachagua’s assertions that the proceedings were politically biased. The ruling also affirmed the appointment of Kithure Kindiki to replace him News Source. In the BBC account, the court’s decision was framed as weakening Gachagua’s chance to run for president because impeachment carries the legal consequence of disqualification from public office.
While the impeachment ruling weakened his formal role in government, Gachagua has continued to campaign vigorously against the administration. The BBC report characterized his posture since removal as defiant, noting that he has built a large following in his Mount Kenya “backyard” and has urged supporters to remain calm as legal and political developments unfold.
The church attack allegations place Gachagua at the center of a renewed dispute over security and state authority. According to the account linked to the BBC report, the claimed use of bullets and tear gas implies an escalation beyond a typical disturbance, and Gachagua’s interpretation—framing the incident as an assassination attempt—adds a further political dimension.
He portrays the perpetrators as rogue members of the police, suggesting misconduct by security personnel rather than a spontaneous local incident. The tear-gas canister reported by police as having been thrown inside the church during the service is a key factual detail provided in the BBC’s account News Source. Such information can be consequential for any subsequent investigation, because it points to deliberate deployment of chemical irritants in a congregation setting.
Kenya’s political landscape has been marked in recent years by deep regional alignments, and Gachagua’s story is intertwined with national electoral history. Gachagua and President Ruto were elected together in 2022 on a joint ticket. Their partnership helped Ruto mobilize support in Mount Kenya, described as the heartland of the Kikuyu people, Kenya’s largest voting bloc, a detail highlighted in the BBC context News Source.
That same regional political foundation helps explain why his removal has reverberated beyond formal governance. After his impeachment, Gachagua’s challenge to Ruto appears to have shifted into a sustained public campaign. The BBC reporting on the upheld impeachment emphasized that he has continued to urge supporters and to speak out, with hopes of “justice for Rigathi Gachagua and millions of his supporters,” reflecting both personal and broader political stakes.
In the immediate aftermath of the church incident, Gachagua’s account indicates he survived the disruption and was able to reach safety with help from his personal security. The BBC report does not, in the provided context, offer additional specifics such as injuries, arrests, or the outcome of any immediate police response—leaving the next steps for authorities to determine what exactly happened inside the church and who ordered or executed the alleged attack.
Nevertheless, the claims raise pressing questions about the relationship between political contestation and security operations. If police officers acted outside the chain of command, as Gachagua suggests, it would carry implications for accountability and public trust. Conversely, if the incident is found to have a different explanation, the competing narratives could further intensify political polarization.
Gachagua’s allegation of an assassination attempt also underscores how the fallout from his impeachment continues to shape his public life. With his ability to hold office legally blocked by the court’s upheld ruling News Source, he is likely to continue using highly visible events and political rhetoric to keep pressure on Ruto’s administration, particularly in areas where he retains strong support.
For now, the church attack remains an allegation tied to Gachagua’s statements and to police reporting about the use of tear gas during the service. As Kenya investigates, the central issue will be whether the incident was a targeted act aimed at eliminating a political figure, or a different kind of disturbance that has been recast in the language of political survival.
With tensions already strained following the impeachment and the court’s subsequent decision, the church episode may become another focal point in the evolving struggle between President William Ruto and one of his former closest political allies.
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