Witnesses described live bullets fired outside, vehicles torched or vandalized, and Gachagua evacuated through bushes by his security team. Gachagua condemned the event as an assassination attempt orchestrated by the state, directly blaming President William Ruto for sending a "killer squad" to silence opposition voices ahead of the 2027 elections.
In response, Meru leaders have hit back sharply. Speaking in a statement covered by K24TV, they described the church chaos as "scripted" and accused Gachagua of exploiting the situation to fuel division and undermine national peace. They warned that such tactics risk deepening ethnic and political rifts, urging political actors to respect places of worship and exercise restraint. The leaders emphasized that turning sacred spaces into battlegrounds serves no one and called for unity over provocation.
This backlash from Meru, part of the broader Mount Kenya region where Gachagua has long drawn strong support, signals potential cracks in his political base. Critics, including some former allies, have labeled the incident as stage-managed to gain sympathy and portray Gachagua as a victim of state persecution.
As Kenya gears up for the 2027 polls, the accusations highlight growing tensions within the opposition and former Kenya Kwanza allies. Gachagua, now leading the DCP party, has positioned himself as a fierce critic of Ruto, but these regional rebukes could weaken his momentum if they signal broader disillusionment.
The incident underscores the fragile state of political discourse in Kenya, where church services and public gatherings increasingly intersect with high-stakes rivalries. Calls for independent investigations continue, as both sides trade blame in what appears to be an escalating battle for narrative control ahead of the next election cycle.
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