William Ruto’s running mate Rigathi Gachagua has insisted that he has never served as a District Officer in Molo as several reports have indicated.
Speaking to a local daily, the Mathira Member of Parliament said that he only served in the mentioned capacity in six stations across the country and Molo, Nakuru, is not one of them.
“I want to put it on record that I have never served in Molo. The stations I worked at are known. My file number at the Office of the President is PF 611592. I served in Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Laikipia, Garissa, Turkana, Kakamega and in the Office of the President in Nairobi. I have never served in Nakuru, leave alone Molo,” Rigathi said.
According to him, those responsible for the story just want to taint his image and turn the people of Mt. Kenya against him but so far the story was gaining attention as anticipated.
“They want to show that I was in Molo during those troubled times. Fortunately, the story is not getting any traction. I would like to advise the media that before peddling such rumors, take time to authenticate. In every government administration office is a board that lists the people who served and the years of service. Some people want to poison the minds of Mt Kenya,” Rigathi affirmed.
It has been alleged that Rigathi was in Molo in the 1990s during clashes that saw 5,000 people get killed and over 75,000 others displaced. At the time, the skirmishes were also witnessed in Mt. Elgon, Nyanza and some parts of the Coastal region but Molo was the most affected.
The clashes were witnessed in 1992-93 and it is claimed that the lawmaker did not take any step to stop the Nandi Warrior militia group that was killing and displacing people.
Rigathi is said to have not taken any step because at first his Kikuyu community was not being affected in any manner. Those targeted at first included the Luo, Luhya and Kisii communities. Once the communities were eradicated, the attackers turned on the Kikuyus, where some were killed and others demanded to go back to central Kenya.
One of the survivors said that Rigathi sold his community to the attackers. The survivors sought refuge at the D.O’s office only for him to hand them spears and swords to fight.
According to the global security organization, one of the factors that led to the war was the conflict over land ownership between the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities.
Recently, Nakuru governor Lee Kinyanjui advised Rigathi to apologize to the people of Molo because of the clashes.
“During the tour, several suggestions have been raised by members of the public. Your kind consideration will be greatly appreciated. The first is a ‘public apology’ to the people of Molo for the commissions and omissions during his tenure as the dreaded DO,” Kinyanjui said.
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