“Tafuta watu wengine wa kutisha, sio sisi.”
NAIROBI, Kenya, March 24 –A fierce political rivalry between Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua, intensified on Monday as the two traded barbs over escalating insecurity in Meru North.
The confrontation was triggered by a 10-day ultimatum issued by Gachagua, the leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), demanding the government deploy security forces along the Samburu-Isiolo border to curb rampant cattle rustling. In a strongly worded warning, Gachagua vowed to mobilise residents to arm themselves if his demands were not met.
“If they don’t do so, I will have no choice but to personally move to the border and mobilise the people of Meru to arm and defend themselves and their livestock,” Gachagua warned.
In a sharp rejoinder posted on his official X account, DP Kindiki dismissed the ultimatum and accused his predecessor of political posturing on a matter of national security.
“Wa Mitego (the snarer), I hear you have given me 10 days to address banditry in Meru North or else you will go there to incite the public to arm themselves and fight cattle rustlers,” Kindiki wrote. “Find someone else to threaten, not us.”
Kindiki further argued that the banditry problem had worsened when individuals whom Gachagua currently associates with in the so-called United Alternative Government (UAG) were in charge of national security.
He highlighted his own record as Interior Cabinet Secretary, noting that he had spent months in the region, “sleeping in bush camps and coordinating security formations to crush bandit networks.” He further criticised Gachagua for failing to act when he served as Deputy President.
“You failed when you had the power and influence to assist the people. Are you aware that you cannot pinpoint a single development project you fought for its implementation anywhere in the Republic of Kenya while you were in office?” Kindiki charged.
The exchange comes amid a resurgence of bandit attacks in the Nyambene region and across Meru North over the past two weeks, resulting in loss of life and livestock.
Speaking earlier on March 21 in Mwichuine, Imenti South Constituency, DP Kindiki had already issued a stern warning to the perpetrators, vowing that they would be met with “brutal and lethal force on land and air” to decisively end the criminal activity.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to its constitutional duty of protecting citizens and property, Kindiki challenged Gachagua to a public debate “on who has pushed the people’s agenda and well-being more.”
Political analysts view the escalating verbal sparring as a battle for supremacy in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region, with both leaders positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The resurgence of criminal gangs of cattle rustlers, killing and maiming innocent people, cannot be allowed to undo the significant progress made towards eradicating cattle rustling in the Northern Rift Valley and Upper Eastern Regions,” Kindiki added, underscoring the administration’s resolve.
