Ruto mocks Gachagua over Koimburi abduction claims

President William Samoei Ruto on Saturday mocked his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua over claims linking the government to the alleged abduction of Juja MP George Koimburi, saying the truth had exposed what he described as lies and political theatrics.

Speaking in Swahili at Sagana State Lodge during a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) grassroots meeting, Dr Ruto said the State had been unfairly accused of abducting Mr Koimburi, only for the narrative to unravel after those behind it began contradicting themselves.

“Ilisemekana vipi? Wenye kuteka nyara ni kina nani? Unajua Mungu — Mungu anaanika maadui wetu tu hivyo hivyo. Peke yao wanakuja, wanajitangaza wenyewe. Kwa sababu unaweza kuficha uongo, lakini mwisho ukweli utajitokeza,”  Dr Ruto said.

(“What was it that was said? Who were said to be the abductors? You know God — God exposes our enemies just like that. They come out on their own and expose themselves. Because you can hide a lie for a while, but in the end the truth will come out.”)

The President was addressing 17,341 UDA delegates from Nyeri County, elected during the recently concluded polling-centre elections.

The meeting was described as a show of organisational strength and unity.

The remarks were widely interpreted as a direct jab at Mr Gachagua and his allies, who had earlier accused the government of involvement when reports first emerged that Mr Koimburi had been abducted.

On May 25, 2025, the Juja MP was reported to have been abducted by unknown men outside a church in Mugutha, Kiambu County. He was later found unconscious and injured at a coffee plantation in the Kibichoi area the following morning.

He was taken to hospital for treatment amid widespread speculation about the motives behind the incident.

Investigations by the National Police Service (NPS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) uncovered inconsistencies in the narrative. Police compared the viral video footage with the alleged scene and found mismatches in vegetation and road layout.

The caretaker of the farm where Koimburi was said to have been found denied witnessing any such event.

Authorities also established that the vehicle used to transport him belonged to Koimburi and was driven by someone known to him.

Further statements from suspects pointed to the MP and his associates orchestrating parts of the episode.

They included spending time with those alleged to be “abductors” and deliberately creating evidence of torture.

DCI later detailed how individuals arrested in the case provided information that unravelled the staged abduction narrative.

Mr Koimburi was later charged in court with staging his own abduction and publishing false information, including allegedly staging the incident to evade arrest in a separate land fraud case.

This week, Mr Koimburi said he had been used in a political scheme, claiming that individuals aligned to Mr Gachagua had planned and stage-managed the incident for political mileage.

He stated that the story portraying him as a victim of State-sponsored abduction was false, and that he had later decided to “tell the truth” after relations with Mr Gachagua deteriorated.

Presudent Ruto told the delegates that UDA remained focused on delivery rather than political noise.

From Sagana, UDA said the engagement amplified the “voice of the grassroots” and reaffirmed the party’s unity of purpose and commitment to people-centred development, even as political temperatures continue to rise ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He argued that strong grassroots structures, not propaganda, would determine the country’s future direction.

The Sagana meeting comes amid escalating political exchanges between the President and his former deputy, as rival camps harden positions and mobilise support in the run-up to the next election cycle