Ruto differs sharply with Gachagua on extrajudicial killing, intelligence failure

President William Ruto has brushed off his deputy’s claims that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) failed to do it mandate following Tuesday’s chaotic protests.

Last week Deputy president Rigathi Gachagua said that the the NIS failed to brief the police adequately on the intensity of Tuesday’s demos.

Speaking during the presidential roundtable at State House Sunday, Ruto dismissed his deputy’s claim, adding that the if they had no information more people would have died as a result of the demonstration.

“We had information, and that is why we prepared in the manner we did, if we had not prepared in the manner in which we did, we would not be counting 19 but a different number of those who died,” President Ruto stated.

Defending police brutality

President Ruto defended police officers stating that the police did the best they could. He also differed with Gachagua on the issue of extrajudicial killings and abductions stating that there were no extrajudicial killings and that such acts will not be part of an administration that he runs despite Gachagua informing the citizens earlier last week that extra-judicial killings and abductions had returned to current regime.

Read: How 2024 Protests Are Shaping a New Era of Activism

When asked about Gachagua’s statement last week, Ruto refused to talk about it arguing that he (Gachagua) is the only one who can provide the context in which he derived his statement.

“You should not inject the deputy into this conversation and it’s not fair since he is not here to explain the context in which he said whatever he said and I think it is not proper to discuss the deputy president here,” President Ruto said.

When the President was asked whether he had spoken with his deputy about the return of extrajudicial killing he asked the interviewers from different media houses to direct their questions to the deputy himself.