Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi was tortured by his captors before being found abandoned in a coffee plantation, in what he alleges is part of a wider campaign to intimidate opposition voices.
Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on Monday after visiting the legislator in hospital, Gachagua alleged that Koimburi had suffered soft tissue injuries consistent with severe beating and had lost his voice after being forced to inhale a chemical substance.
“It is not known where he was taken to, but after a serious search, he was found in a coffee plantation badly beaten,” Gachagua told reporters. “He has serious soft tissue injuries, and doctors say he was tortured by professionals.”
According to the former DP, doctors suspect the inhaled chemical has damaged Koimburi’s vocal cords, and samples have been sent to various laboratories for further analysis.
Koimburi was reportedly abducted on Sunday outside a church in Mugutha, Kiambu County, and later found dumped on Monday. Video footage shows him being forced into a silver Subaru Forester with civilian plates. His wife, Ann Koimburi, was injured during the incident.
Gachagua, who was impeached in October 2024 following a political fallout with President William Ruto, blamed the abduction on what he described as a shadowy government squad targeting dissenters.
“We have confirmation that the government has put up a squad to deal with leaders who are against this regime,” Gachagua alleged, calling the incident a grave threat to democratic freedoms.
However, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has denied involvement in the abduction. The agency confirmed that MP Koimburi has been under investigation since Friday over alleged land fraud and misuse of Constituency Development Funds (CDF).
Mrs. Koimburi also criticized the lack of transparency, noting that authorities had previously confiscated her husband’s phone and vehicle but gave no information on his subsequent whereabouts.
As the investigation unfolds, the incident has sparked renewed debate over the state of civil liberties in Kenya and raised concerns about the safety of political leaders critical of the government.
