President William Ruto has firmly disputed Deputy President Gachagua's assertion that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) failed to provide adequate intelligence, which led to Tuesday's deadly anti-Finance Bill protests.
During a presidential roundtable at the State House, President Ruto disclosed that the State had received appropriate intelligence indicating that criminal groups were planning to infiltrate the nonviolent rallies. These infiltrations culminated in a dramatic but historic raid on the August House.
"We had information, and that is why we prepared in the manner that we did. If we had not prepared, we would be counting different numbers of those who died," President Ruto stated. "Criminals mobilised heavily; in fact, many peaceful protesters left town by 10 a.m. after realising criminals had joined the protests."
Did you read this?
President Ruto also addressed the matter of extrajudicial murders, refuting accusations that they had resumed under his tenure. He emphasized that it was unfair to discuss the deputy president's comments without him present to provide context.
"It is not fair to discuss the deputy president here because he is not present to explain the context in which he said those things," Ruto told reporters. When asked if he had spoken with Gachagua about his accusations regarding the reintroduction of killings, President Ruto directed interviewers to ask Gachagua directly.
"I'm sure if you interview the deputy president he will answer that appropriately... but take it from me, extrajudicial killings will not be part of an administration that I'm part of," he added.
Last week, after announcing the withdrawal of the widely criticized Finance Bill 2024, Deputy President Gachagua convened a media conference where he accused Kenya's intelligence agency of failing to provide sufficient information.
This ongoing disagreement highlights the tensions within the administration regarding the handling of security and intelligence matters during the recent protests.
