Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has escalated his war of attrition with the State, threatening to lead 100,000 protesters to the Inspector General’s doorstep if "assassins" in police uniform are not arrested by Friday.

The political temperature in Nyeri has reached a boiling point. Following the January 25, 2026, chaos at the ACK Witima Church, where teargas turned a Sunday service into a stampede, Gachagua has now named names. He alleges the attack was not a botched crowd control operation, but a sanctioned "hit" by a covert police unit.

The "Sierra" Allegation

Speaking from the pulpit at PCEA Zimmerman yesterday, Gachagua dropped a bombshell that has sent tremors through Vigilance House. He claims to have intelligence identifying a 12-man special unit—codenamed "Nairobi Sierra"—allegedly dispatched with a single objective: to eliminate him.

"We know them," Gachagua thundered, waving a dossier he claims contains the service numbers of the officers. "We know Major Nicholas Mwachovi. We know Corporal John Maina. We know why they were sent. And we warn the government: the church will not forgive you until these terrorists face the law."

The accusation that the State is using a secret police death squad against high-profile opposition figures is the most serious charge leveled against the Ruto administration since the Finance Bill protests of 2024. If true, it suggests a return to the dark days of extrajudicial "policing with prejudice."

The Friday Ultimatum

Gachagua’s "Democracy for the Citizens Party" (DCP) has issued a concrete ultimatum. They demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of the 15 officers named in their dossier. Failure to act, Gachagua warned, will trigger a "Mega March" on Friday, February 20.

"Tumemwambia Kanja (Inspector General Douglas Kanja), siku ya Ijumaa, saa tatu, tutakuja kwako na watu elfu mia moja," Gachagua vowed. (We have told Kanja, on Friday at 9 AM, we are coming to you with 100,000 people).

The logistics of such a march would be a nightmare for Nairobi’s central business district. Security analysts warn that a confrontation between 100,000 opposition supporters and the very police force accused of trying to kill their leader is a recipe for civil unrest.

The Political Calculus

This standoff serves a dual purpose for the deposed Deputy President. First, it keeps his base in Mt.Kenya agitated and mobilized. By framing the church attack as an assault on the Kikuyu community’s sanctity of worship—invoking memories of the 2007 Kiambaa church burning—he is solidifying his role as the region’s defender.

Second, it puts President Ruto in a diplomatic bind. With the international community watching Kenya’s stability, a crackdown on a church-going opposition leader could backfire spectacularly. For now, IG Kanja remains silent, but the clock is ticking toward Friday.