Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has continued with his onslaught on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, revealing that he had previously advised President William Ruto against appointing him to the powerful security docket.

Speaking during a fiery Monday, May 25, 2026, press briefing, Gachagua questioned Murkomen’s suitability to oversee the country’s security apparatus, arguing that the ministry requires a leader who is mature, politically neutral and capable of safeguarding both the President and ordinary Kenyans.

His remarks come in the wake of dramatic changes within the Presidential Escort Unit (PEU) following a security scare during President Ruto’s rally in Ganze, Kilifi County. During the incident, a man breached security and got dangerously close to the presidential dais before officers swiftly intervened and restrained him.

Gachagua said the latest security lapse vindicated his earlier reservations about Murkomen’s appointment.

“And everybody was demanding after the cabinet was dissolved that Murkomen should be summoned. William Ruto asked me whether he could appoint him as CS Interior. I couldn’t believe my ears, and I told him, ‘You can’t,” the Democracy for the Citizens (DCP) boss revealed.

Moreover, Gachagua claimed he advised the President that the Interior Ministry was too sensitive to be entrusted to an individual with political ambitions.

“This seat of Interior requires somebody who is mature and who has no political ambition because anybody who is ambitious will play around with security agencies and intelligence to further his political vision,” he stated.

According to Gachagua, he and Ruto agreed at the time that Murkomen was better suited for a different portfolio.

“We agreed with William at that time that he would be taken to the Ministry of Sports and Youth. That’s where he belongs. This ministry is too serious for such a childish leader,” he said.

Murkomen failing Ruto, Kenyans?

The former DP went further to link recent security breaches surrounding the President to what he described as failures within the Interior Ministry.

He questioned how Murkomen could guarantee the safety of millions of Kenyans when the Head of State himself appeared vulnerable during public engagements.

“You have been unable to get anything right in this country. You have failed in the economy, education, health and investment. You can’t even get your own security right,” Gachagua charged.

“The whole security architecture around the president yesterday was caught flat-footed. If the President of Kenya is not safe, are ordinary Kenyans safe?

Gachagua revisited previous security incidents involving President Ruto, including the shoe-throwing incident in Migori and other moments where crowds breached the President’s personal space during rallies.

Gachagua particularly questioned the absence or effectiveness of the President’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC), who traditionally serves as the last line of defence for the Head of State.

“My understanding of the security architecture around the president is that the ADC is the last man on the defence line. If everything else failed and somebody came with a knife, the ADC would go between the president and the knife,” he said.

“Where is our ADC? He is supposed to escort the President everywhere, including the toilet. What has been happening that strangers come across the President and everybody is running helter-skelter?”

Gachagua warned that the latest breach could have had catastrophic consequences if the individual who approached the dais had been armed or carrying explosives.

“What if that man had a knife? What if he was a suicide bomber?” he posed.

Meanwhile, security agencies are understood to have initiated internal reviews following the Kilifi scare, with changes reportedly being made within the Presidential Escort Unit to tighten the President’s protection during public rallies and tours.