Gachagua hits out at govt over Githurai demolitions, calls out silence on Isiolo attack
By Mustafa Juma, February 19, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has strongly condemned the government’s recent demolition of market structures in Githurai, accusing state authorities of using excessive force to intimidate traders and ordinary citizens.
Taking to his official X account on Thursday, February 19, 2026, Gachagua described the actions as “senseless and inhuman” and criticised the government for deploying hundreds of police officers in the dead of night to oversee what he termed as destroying property and terrorising residents.
“It is both senseless and inhuman for this regime to orchestrate extreme brutality and cowardice by deploying hundreds of police officers in the dead of night to destroy the property of traders in Githurai and to terrorise innocent citizens. Such actions are a grave affront to human dignity and reflect a regime that has lost all sense of compassion and justice,” Gachagua stated.
Misplaced priorities
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader contrasted the Githurai crackdown with the government’s silence on a violent attack in Isiolo, where a deputy principal and teacher, Gatobu Maingi, who was stationed at Leperua Secondary School, was brutally killed by bandits on February 18, 2026.
He further accused the government of being disconnected from the struggles of ordinary Kenyans, especially small business operators navigating a challenging economy.
“Treating citizens as criminals while they struggle to navigate a mutilated economy is a new low for a government led by elites who are completely disconnected from the realities faced by ordinary people. It is a stark reminder of how far disconnected they are from the struggles of the common mwananchi, which they have caused through bad leadership and poor policy,” his statement read in part.
“Ironically, at the very same hour, a tragedy was unfolding in Isiolo where Mr. Gatobu, a Deputy Principal and a teacher of Physics and Mathematics at Leparua Secondary School, was being brutally attacked, stabbed severely and butchered by bandits on February 18, 2026, yet no voice from this despotic regime!”
Gachagua slams Murkomen
Gachagua also criticised the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Kipchumba Murkomen, accusing him of indifference and of prioritising political showmanship over citizen welfare.
While referring to Murkomen as a celebrity, he accused him of dwelling in “ivory towers and pure indulgence in the excesses of public resources while threatening the opposition leaders.”
“The celebrity and clueless Cabinet Secretary for Interior claims to understand the plight of small business enterprises, yet he dwells in ivory towers and pure indulgence in the excesses of public resources while threatening the opposition leaders! His indifference and that of his master is palpable, and their actions speak volumes about their lack of empathy and understanding,” Gachagua wrote on X.