''There will be civil wars in this Country,'' Gachagua alleges: Ol Kalou by-election political tension

In a fiery press briefing today, during the Ol KaLou by-election exercise, the former Deputy President  Rigathi Gachagua took aim at rival politicians from the Mount Kenya region, accusing them of funding and deploying goons to disrupt the ongoing Ol Kalou by-election.

Gachagua expressed deep concern over reports of voter intimidation, violence, and targeted chaos at several polling stations, calling the acts an "unacceptable assault on the democratic rights of the people of Ol Kalou.’’

Gachagua did not mince his words, directly pointing the finger towards some Mount Kenya leaders whom he accused of organising and spearheading goonism that has seen journalists from notable media houses attacked and their equipment vandalised.

According to Gachagua, the leaders spearheading what he terms as goonism within the Ol Kalou region are notable leaders like Honorable Sabina Chege, Kawanjiku Njuguna of Kiambaa, Eric Wamumbi, Betty Maina and the women representative for Kiambu Wamuratha.

‘’They are under the control of the following Members of Parliament,and we are ashamed they are people from this region who are brutalising their own community under the instructions of William Ruto, Honorable Sabina Chege, the Honorable Kawanjiku Njuguna of Kiambaa, Eric Wamumbi, Betty Maina and the women representative for Kiambu Wamuratha,’’ Gachagua alleged.

‘’Munyeki Primary School has been attacked, Huruma Primary School has been attacked, AC Primary School; the biggest polling station  has been attacked, Nyakiabi polling station, Ngorika and Mumbi,’’ the DCP party leader alleged.

The Ol Kalou by-election has quickly morphed into a critical litmus test for political dominance in the central region. 

With various factions trying to solidify their grip on the Mt. Kenya voting bloc ahead of future political alignments, the outcome of today's vote carries immense symbolic and strategic weight.

The DCP party leader has further claimed that the MP for  Nakuru East, Honorable Gikaria  has been organising goons  and that all the goons present in Ol Kalou have come from Nakuru.

"It is deeply shameful that leaders who go around claiming to speak for the interests of the Mountain are the very ones funding goonism to suppress the democratic will of our people in Ol Kalou today," Gachagua said.

"We have seen trucks of young, hired men transported from outside the constituency to intimidate mothers, elders, and young voters at the polling queues. This is not our culture." Gachagua added.

However, Gachagua’s utterances remain unverified. He has further instructed members of the public to boycott Moline transport company claiming that their vehicles were used in the transportation of goons.

‘’This is the team of public transport that has given out their vehicles to take goons to Ol Kalou to kill the people of Ol Kalou. This is unacceptable and they will be punished,’’ Gachagua said.

‘’I am announcing to the people of Mount Kenya region that Moline Luxury shuttle must be boycotted forthwith and they’ll get no customers in this region.’’ he added.

The former Deputy President claimed to have received intelligence and real-time distress calls from local agents pointing to coordinated attempts to compromise the integrity of the voting process.

He warned that using violence to establish political supremacy in the region would backfire heavily.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was also not spared, Gachagua claimed that there will be mobilization of Kenyans to call for its disbursement. 

With voting still underway, Gachagua has urged the people of Ol Kalou to be vigilant as the exercise continues. 

Observers note that Gachagua's swift and aggressive presser is a clear signal that the battle for the heart of the Mountain is entering an intense, uncompromising phase.

The police and electoral officials are yet to issue a formal joint response to the allegations of voter disruption.