Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a fresh attack on President William Ruto, accusing him of presiding over a crime empire and failing to rein in rogue police officers whom he claims are working alongside criminal gangs to terrorise Kenyans.

In an X statement on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Gachagua dismissed President Ruto’s recent directive ordering security agencies to crack down on goons across the country, arguing that the problem lies within the state security apparatus itself.

“William Ruto, I have heard that today you ordered that goons and criminals be dealt with across the country. Fair enough. But is this the first time you are saying this? Who moves around Nairobi and the country with goons? Not you?” Gachagua posed.

The former deputy president claimed that the country had descended into lawlessness, claiming that rogue police officers were collaborating with criminal gangs under the direction of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.

“The problem in the East African Haiti, formerly the Republic of Kenya, is not goons. It is rogue police officers working with goons to terrorise Kenyans,” he said.

Gachagua accused Murkomen and Omollo of transforming the Ministry of Interior into what he termed a “Ministry of Goonism and Coordination of Terror against Kenyans,” claiming that the two officials either acted with President Ruto’s authority or without his knowledge.

Cites Ol Kalou violence

Gachagua referenced the recent violence witnessed during the Ol Kalou by-election campaigns, claiming that despite the deployment of thousands of police officers, armed plain-clothes operatives allegedly attacked civilians.

According to Gachagua, more than 2,000 police officers, including General Service Unit (GSU) and Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) officers, had been deployed alongside regional and county security teams.

He further claimed that armed men in civilian clothing terrorised residents for hours, resulting in deaths, injuries and sexual violence.

“They killed two people, injured twenty, and raped multiple women. Six days later, not a single arrest has been made because they are protected by Murkomen,” he claimed.

Gachagua further claimed that a pro-government Member of Parliament facilitated transport for the attackers and claimed evidence linked the legislator to the incident.

Links Ol Kalou to Witima church attack

The former deputy president also linked the alleged Ol Kalou attackers to an earlier incident at Witima ACK Church, claiming investigators had informed him that the same group was involved in both operations.

“The same squad that attacked Witima ACK Church in January is the same one that attacked voters in Olkalou,” he alleged.

He further claimed that investigations into both incidents would not lead to prosecutions because of alleged political interference.

Questions Kenya’s security image

Gachagua said the insecurity could undermine investor confidence and tourism, questioning the government’s ability to guarantee public safety.

“If you cannot protect Kenyans from police goons, how will you protect tourists and investors?” he asked.

He accused President Ruto, Murkomen and Omollo of posing what he described as “the greatest existential threat” to Kenya’s national security before declaring: “Kenya is now a crime empire.”