By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, July 8 ,2026 - A fresh political storm has erupted after Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation against business leaders in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Murkomen alleged that Gachagua, the leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), was creating "an atmosphere of fear and siege" in the vote-rich region to intimidate prominent businesspeople.
The Interior CS claimed Gachagua's recent political meetings at his Wamunyoro home in Mathira Constituency, Nyeri County, were aimed at advancing a strategy that threatens national cohesion and economic stability.
"Listening to Gachagua today has confirmed our worst fears that he is on a mission to create an atmosphere of fear and siege in the Mt Kenya region with the sole aim of extorting money from leading businesspeople," Murkomen said.
He further alleged that businesses owned by individuals who decline to bow to intimidation risk becoming targets of looting and destruction by criminal gangs.
"The businesses of those who refuse to yield to his intimidation and blackmail are targeted for looting and destruction by his gangs and goons," he said.
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Murkomen described the former Deputy President as "the biggest threat to national unity and the economy of our country" and warned that security agencies were closely monitoring his activities.
"His utterances and criminal activities are closely being monitored by our security agencies and we shall do everything to ensure that the people and their properties are protected," the Cabinet Secretary said.
The remarks are the latest escalation in the growing political confrontation between the Kenya Kwanza administration and Gachagua, who has intensified consultations with opposition leaders and supporters from his Wamunyoro residence as he positions himself for the 2027 elections.
Gachagua has yet to publicly respond to Murkomen's allegations.