Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has escalated his public feud with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, calling him the “father of violence” and accusing him of sponsoring criminal gangs and pushing divisive politics.
Murkomen made the remarks at Kimwogo Grounds in Elgeyo Marakwet County during the Kabiemit Community Empowerment Programme, where he alleged that Gachagua relies on violence and misinformation to drive his political agenda.
“The reason Gachagua fears me is that I know him, and I know he’s the father of violence in our country,” Murkomen said, adding that Gachagua has a “twisted mind” and rejects Kenya’s governance systems. He also accused Gachagua of misleading Kenyans through what he described as political double-speak.
“He has conned people for far too long, but I want to tell him, ‘You can con some people some of the time, but you cannot con all the people all the time,” he said.
Murkomen’s latest remarks came two days after the June 25 Gen Z anniversary demonstrations, which the government described as largely peaceful. They also followed weeks of increasingly bitter exchanges between the two leaders.
He further alleged that some politicians exploited the public protests by recruiting criminal gangs to trigger violence. Murkomen warned that the government would move decisively against anyone found responsible.
“Any person who is involved in recruiting gangs and criminals, we will deal with them decisively and in accordance with the law,” he said.
