{"id":141575,"date":"2026-05-20T06:02:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T06:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/gachagua-denies-radicalisation-claims-says-taxes-and-brt-rollout-to-blame\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T06:02:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T06:02:48","slug":"gachagua-denies-radicalisation-claims-says-taxes-and-brt-rollout-to-blame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/gachagua-denies-radicalisation-claims-says-taxes-and-brt-rollout-to-blame\/","title":{"rendered":"Gachagua denies radicalisation claims, says taxes and BRT rollout to blame"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 19 \u2014 Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused the government of fuelling public anger and \u201cradicalising\u201d Kenyans through its handling of the economy, transport sector policies, and alleged human rights abuses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during a televised address from the United Kingdom, Gachagua responded to United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar, who had questioned why Kenyans were angry with President William Ruto amid rising fuel prices and anti-government protests.<\/p>\n

Gachagua argued that government officials were themselves responsible for escalating tensions in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say Hassan Omar, you are the ones radicalising the people of Kenya,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He specifically criticised proposals linked to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems and commuter rail expansion, arguing that such plans threatened the livelihoods of thousands employed in the matatu industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you ask Chirchir to kill the matatu industry and replace it with BRT buses, what are you doing? That is radicalisation,\u201d Gachagua said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe matatu industry employs many people. Many Kenyans have invested in the matatu industry. You are issuing a public statement asking the Minister for Transport to kill the matatu industry and replace it with BRT.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the proposals had angered matatu owners, drivers, conductors and other workers who depend on the sector for their livelihoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are actually radicalising the matatu owners, the drivers, the touts, and all the people who make a living from the matatu industry,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u2018Unreasonable taxes\u2019<\/h2>\n

Gachagua also accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of burdening Kenyans through heavy taxation, delayed payment of pending bills, and alleged corruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has levied taxes that are unreasonable to the people of Kenya. He has refused to pay pending bills to the people of Kenya. Their properties are being auctioned,\u201d Gachagua claimed, referring to President Ruto.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has made bribery a way of life. He is mocking Kenyans by displaying millions of shillings in public when people have no food to put on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former Deputy President further criticised Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over what he termed a pattern of blaming former President Uhuru Kenyatta for current national challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the record, Uhuru Kenyatta is not the President of Kenya. William Ruto is the President of Kenya. The buck stops with him,\u201d Gachagua said.<\/p>\n

He defended Kenyatta\u2019s tenure, saying the former president handed over a functioning state with stable education, healthcare, and security systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Uhuru Kenyatta handed over a country that was working. Four years down the line, there is no country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Legitimate concerns <\/h2>\n

Gachagua also referenced recent fuel protests, arguing that Kenyans had legitimate grievances due to sharp increases in fuel prices under the current administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Uhuru Kenyatta was president, fuel went only to Sh135. We are now over Sh240. The people of Kenya know the difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His remarks came after UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar warned that action would be taken against Gachagua if investigations linked him to recent anti-fuel protests that left at least four people dead and hundreds injured.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is no joke; this country cannot continue this way recklessly,\u201d Omar said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Riggy G breaks the law and the arms of the law point at him, we will arrest him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Omar defended the Kenya Kwanza administration, saying it had initiated development projects and moved to modernise the transport sector through investments in commuter rail and BRT systems.<\/p>\n

He also questioned why demonstrators could not wait until the 2027 General Election to express dissatisfaction with the government.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 19 \u2014 Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused the government of fuelling public anger and \u201cradicalising\u201d Kenyans through its handling of the economy, transport sector policies, and alleged human rights abuses. Speaking during a televised address from the United Kingdom, Gachagua responded to United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141575\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}