The Deputy President accuses the police chief of political betrayal after an elite unit barricades his convoy, shattering promises of an apolitical service.

The simmering tension between the executive and the security apparatus has boiled over into open conflict. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a blistering public attack on Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, accusing him of reneging on a solemn vow to keep the police service out of politics. The accusation follows a dramatic confrontation on January 30, where Gachagua’s convoy was physically blocked from entering Nakuru County.

The incident at the Nyandarua-Nakuru border was not a routine traffic stop; it was a show of force. Police units barricaded the road, preventing the Deputy President from reaching the Kinamba Trading Centre in Naivasha, where he was scheduled to address residents. For Gachagua, this was a declaration of war.

The Broken Promise

In a furious statement released Monday, Gachagua reminded the nation of the "firm assurances" given by the police leadership during a meeting with national leaders. The promise was clear: the National Police Service would remain apolitical, respect constitutional freedoms, and refrain from interfering in legitimate political assembly. That promise, Gachagua contends, is now dead.

• Political Operatives: Gachagua alleges that the police in Nakuru were acting not on security intelligence, but on instructions from "political operatives" intent on silencing him.
• The Pattern: This blockade fits a growing pattern of state machinery being weaponized against perceived dissenters within the government itself, signaling a fracture in the ruling coalition.

A Service Weaponized

The accusations raise grave questions about the independence of the Inspector General’s office. If the second-in-command of the Republic can be barred from moving freely within the country, the average citizen’s right to assembly stands on shaky ground.

"We were told the police would never disrupt public meetings," Gachagua noted bitterly. The roadblocks in Naivasha suggest that in Kenyan politics, promises are as fluid as the political alliances that make them.