Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua/SCREENGRAB
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed what he described as threats to arrest and detain him, insisting that imprisonment would not intimidate him or alter his political stance.
Speaking during a consultative meeting with leaders from Githunguri constituency on Saturday, Gachagua said some of his political opponents mistakenly believed that the prospect of spending time in a police cell would force him to abandon his political position.
"These people have never slept in the cells even one day. They think threatening to lock me up is important," he told the gathering.
The former deputy president likened a modern police cell to a hotel, arguing that his humble upbringing had prepared him to endure far harsher conditions.
"Now I want to ask them, isn't a cell in Kenya nowadays just like a hotel?" he asked the crowd.
As supporters responded affirmatively, Gachagua continued by listing some of the basic amenities available in detention facilities.
"Isn't it made of stones? Doesn't it have electricity? Isn't there a toilet? Even security?" he asked, drawing another chorus of agreement from the audience.
He contrasted those conditions with his childhood, saying he grew up in a grass-thatched house with limited access to necessities.
"Where I was born in a place called Hiriga, a house made of grass, we slept alongside sheep. There was no toilet, water, or electricity. Even food was scarce," he said.
"Now someone who has come from that house, if you put him in a cell, is it a hotel or not?" he asked, prompting the audience to respond, "It's a hotel," before bursting into laughter.
Gachagua said the possibility of being arrested would not deter him from expressing his political views or engaging in opposition politics.
"So what is the problem? Those are very small things. And those people should know who I am. They should know even if they put me in a cell, my stand will not change," he said.
He added that even if he were arrested, it would not affect the broader political movement he said he represents.
"Even if they arrest me, I am just one vote," Gachagua said.
The former deputy president maintained that detention would neither silence him nor change his political convictions.
On Friday, Gachagua said he had held what he described as one of his "most engaging conversations" since launching consultations at his Wamunyoro residence with leaders from Narok County and the Maa community.
"Thank you, leaders from Narok county and the Maa Nation for your very insightful contribution and candid advice on the way forward," he said.
