Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has detonated a political bombshell, accusing President Ruto’s administration of personally orchestrating the deployment of Kenyan youth to the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war. In a scathing attack, Gachagua alleged that young men were promised jobs but delivered into a war zone.

These grave allegations, if proven, would implicate the government in an international mercenary scandal and demand immediate accountability for the lives of Kenyans reportedly killed in foreign trenches. Gachagua, now fully unmoored from the administration he helped install, described the deployment as a "betrayal of the highest order," painting a picture of a government that views its youth as exportable cannon fodder.

"Freezing Weather and Bombs"

Speaking to supporters, Gachagua did not mince words. He claimed that Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and the President were directly involved in the logistics of sending these youths to Russia. "They told them they were going for security jobs," he thundered. "Instead, they are facing freezing weather, bombs, and gunfire."

• The Human Cost: Reports of Kenyan casualties in the Ukraine conflict have been circulating for months, but this is the first time a leader of Gachagua's stature has directly pinned the blame on the State House. He alleges that families are grieving in silence, silenced by the state.
• The Political Fallout: The accusation strikes at the heart of the government's labor export policy, which President Ruto has championed as a solution to unemployment. Gachagua is now weaponizing this policy, framing it as a death sentence for the poor.

A Government under Siege

The government has yet to issue a comprehensive rebuttal, but the damage is already being done. By linking the President personally to the deaths of Kenyan youth abroad, Gachagua is inciting a visceral emotional response from the electorate. The narrative of "our sons dying for foreign wars" is a potent political weapon, and Gachagua has just pulled the trigger.

As the families of the missing wait for answers, the former Deputy President has ensured that their silence will now be the loudest noise in Kenyan politics.