Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday, May 25, 2026, expressed concern over President William Ruto’s safety following a breach of his security detail in Kilifi County.
Gachagua warned that if anything untoward were to happen to President William Ruto, the country would instantly plunge into a severe crisis of unknown magnitude. He reiterated that the President’s safety is a matter of gravest national concern, aggressively lashing out at the protection detail for dropping the ball far too many times.
The Democracy for the Citizens (DCP) party leader claimed he had long observed that the Head of State was dangerously exposed during public outings. However, he explained that he had opted to keep mum until now to avoid further endangering the President’s security by pointing out those flaws publicly.
“The security of the President, his safety and well-being, is a very important ingredient of our political stability as a country,” Gachagua asserted.
“No matter how unpopular he is, the President of Kenya must be safe, and he must be properly protected because if anything were to happen to him, we would have a crisis of unknown magnitude,” the former DP reiterated, calling for immediate, professional overhauls to the state’s security apparatus.
The ex-DP slammed Ruto’s security team for playing around with his safety. He added that the president still enjoyed the support of some Kenyans who would not take well the news of anything happening to Ruto because of the recklessness of those charged with protecting him.
“In my own estimation, Ruto enjoys the support of about 2 million Kenyans, and if anything were to happen to him through recklessness, there will be political instability in this country,” he added.
Gachagua reiterated that, despite being on the opposing side of the political divide, he only wanted Ruto to be removed from office through the ballot. He added that the DCP was yearning for the opportunity to humiliate him in the elections and, therefore, needed him alive for that to happen.
The ex-DP blamed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen for the lapses in the President’s security. He claimed to have received intel from security personnel on Murkomen’s purported lackluster execution of his mandate.
“In the inner circles of the ministry, I am told he is called Waziri wa Sherehe [Minister of Entertainment]. Security chiefs are telling me that he is not available to be briefed on the security of the country, and when available, he does not comprehend the briefs,” he alleged.
Gachagua claimed that he had previously warned Ruto against appointing Murkomen to the powerful Interior docket. He wondered how ordinary Kenyans could ever feel safe under the CS’s leadership if he failed to guarantee the basic security of the Commander-in-Chief.
To back up his claims, the DCP leader cited a string of other high-profile security breaches that have occurred under Murkomen’s watch, including the notorious shoe-throwing incident in Migori, water being hurled at Ruto during a visit to Kibera, and additional chaotic security lapses in Mombasa, Wajir, and most recently, Kilifi.
He further questioned the whereabouts and effectiveness of the President’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC) during the chaotic event in Kilifi, pointing out that the ADC is traditionally structured to be the absolute last line of defense for the Head of State.
Gachagua argued that the ADC is supposed to shield the president from immediate physical harm, yet individuals are somehow still managing to break through the security perimeter completely unchecked.
As a solution to the ongoing security vulnerabilities, Gachagua proposed that Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir should replace Murkomen at the helm of the Interior Ministry, maintaining that President Ruto’s personal safety must be treated with the utmost seriousness before a catastrophic lapse occurs.
