By Yasini Mutuli
In a dramatic escalation of political tensions, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has announced plans to refer President William Ruto to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the recent wave of deadly anti-government protests in Kenya.
Speaking during a town hall event with the Kenyan diaspora in Seattle, USA, Gachagua accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of committing serious human rights violations during the Gen Z-led protests, which have rocked major towns in the country over the last several weeks.
“We are documenting every atrocity. Every child shot, every abduction, every intimidation—we shall take this evidence to The Hague,” he said, as quoted by Pulse Live Kenya.
Gachagua claimed that dozens of young people had either been killed, tortured, or disappeared, and blamed the Ruto administration for unleashing state machinery on peaceful demonstrators.
“We have entered a dark chapter where dissent is criminalized, where our youth are hunted down for speaking up,” he told the crowd.
“We cannot remain silent while innocent Kenyans are brutalized by the very government that promised them hope.”
The former DP also alleged that the government had formed covert security squads tasked with silencing critics, comparing the current situation to some of the darkest days in Kenya’s political history.
“This regime has weaponized the police and turned Kenya into a police state. It is no longer safe to disagree with the president,” he added.
He revealed that his team, alongside a network of human rights organizations and lawyers, is compiling a detailed dossier that includes video evidence, medical reports, and eyewitness testimonies.
The goal, he said, is to submit a formal complaint to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor in the coming weeks.
“Justice may be slow, but it will come. And when it does, those responsible for the killings and enforced disappearances will be held accountable—no matter their office,” Gachagua vowed.
