Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has issued a bold warning to police officers, cautioning them against executing unlawful orders from their superiors.

Gachagua insists that when things go awry, the officers will be left to bear the consequences alone while those above them walk free under the shield of political protection.

Speaking during a funeral service held in Rumuruti, Laikipia County, on Saturday, June 14, 2025, Gachagua referred to the unfolding controversy surrounding the death of blogger Albert Ojwang, where the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Central Police Station has been singled out as the key person of interest.

“You have seen what has happened. You follow orders from your superior, you beat someone, you kill someone, and then when it backfires, your superior is shielded while you are sacrificed and dragged to court,” Gachagua said.

The former second-in-command specifically pointed fingers at Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat, accusing him of enjoying protection from all arms of government, including Parliament and President William Ruto, while junior officers are left to shoulder the blame for crimes committed during operations.

“DIG Lagat is protected by the Senate, by the National Assembly, by Ruto and everybody else, but the OCS, even though he is from the President’s own ethnic group, has been thrown under the bus,” he said.

Gachagua then cautioned police officers to remain fully conscious that even enjoying shared ethnic roots with President William Ruto does not in any way guarantee political immunity. He noted that the OCS, who has since been arrested in connection with the death of Albert Ojwang, is from the President’s own tribe, yet that supposed advantage did absolutely nothing to save him from the grip of the law.

“Even if you are from William Ruto’s tribe, it will not help you. That OCS is from his community, yet he has been abandoned completely,” Gachagua added.

Adherence to rules

He then urged police officers to strictly adhere to the Constitution and the legal codes of the country, warning them not to allow themselves to become pawns in political games that could cost them their freedom.

He also listed the Penal Code and the Evidence Act as the primary legal frameworks that officers must adhere to in order to safeguard themselves.

According to the former Mathira MP, officers should always insist that their seniors provide them with written orders which they can later use to defend themselves should circumstances take a turn for the worse, given how easily they can be left to shoulder the blame unjustly.

“I want to ask our officers to follow four documents only — the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the Penal Code Chapter 63 of the Laws of Kenya, the Criminal Procedure Code Cap 75, and the Evidence Act Cap 80. Those only. If a superior gives you an unlawful order, ask him to put it in writing,” Gachagua said.

He added that officers who blindly follow illegal orders to beat, harass, or kill civilians would one day be called to account, while the commanders who issued the instructions disappear behind the comfort of state protection.