What stood out on Thursday was the way Gachagua was squeezed and shielded by his bodyguards as crowds surged around him — a scene that drew comparisons with a dramatic moment in 1995, when Raila Odinga cowered at Thika Stadium during chaotic Ford-Kenya leadership elections.
Then, riot police struggled to separate Raila’s supporters from those of Wamalwa Kijana, an event that ultimately led Raila to form the National Development Party.
As images of Gachagua’s return spread, footage of Raila’s 1995 ordeal resurfaced online, with many Kenyans noting the striking parallels in the country’s turbulent political history.
Violence erupted in Nairobi on Thursday as impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua returned from a political tour of the United States, with police firing teargas to disperse crowds at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Hundreds of Gachagua’s supporters thronged the airport chanting “Wantam” — a slogan meaning “one term” coined to target President William Ruto — as the former deputy president left the arrivals gate under heavy security. His convoy sparked traffic gridlock along Nairobi’s main highway, where rival groups clashed, hurling stones before police intervened.
Gachagua, once Ruto’s closest ally during the 2022 elections, was impeached last year after a dramatic falling-out with the president. He has since become one of Ruto’s fiercest critics and is positioning himself as a major opposition contender in the 2027 polls. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen had earlier warned that his return posed a “security threat.”
