Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack on Citizen TV journalist Steven Letoo, accusing him of filing a biased church attack report that deliberately twisted the facts of a violent Sunday incident involving goons and police.
Addressing supporters on Wednesday morning, Gachagua recounted the harrowing events at a local church where he claims criminals stormed the service, only to be repelled by worshippers before returning with armed officers who escalated the chaos by hurling tear gas inside the sanctuary.
“I want to speak to Citizen TV’s Steven Letoo, if you are here. You filed a very biased report on Sunday, and you were there personally,” he began, his voice rising with frustration. He described how the initial assault by “criminals” was swiftly handled by alert Christians who chased them off the premises.
But the attackers allegedly regrouped, this time under the protection of police, leading to a brutal confrontation. “They later returned, backed by police officers with guns, and fought us. The OCS even threw a tear gas canister inside the church,” Gachagua asserted, emphasising that the gas attack sent parishioners scrambling for safety amid choking fumes and shouts.
The former deputy president directly contradicted Letoo’s broadcast, which aired that evening and portrayed the police as neutral peacekeepers. According to Gachagua, Letoo claimed officers had arrived solely to “separate the groups that were fighting”, a narrative he branded as outright fabrication.
“That is a lie; it’s a lie. Steven Letoo also says that police did not throw a tear gas canister in the church. Yet we were in the church when the OCS threw the tear gas canister,” he thundered, urging the reporter to uphold journalistic integrity.
Gachagua even alluded to Letoo’s rumoured political ambitions, suggesting they might explain the slant: “Let’s be professional. Even if you want to run for a seat under UDA, as long as you are working for a TV station, be neutral for now. When the time comes, resign and go fight for the seat.”
Eyewitnesses corroborated Gachagua’s version in interviews with bana.co.ke that day. Mama Jane Wanjohi, a congregant in her fifties, recalled the terror: “We were singing hymns when these youths burst in, shouting insults and throwing stones. Our men pushed them out, but soon police vehicles arrived. Instead of arresting the troublemakers, officers joined in, and that canister flew right through the window. Children were coughing everywhere.”
The local OCS Officer Commanding Station denied the allegations, telling journalists that his team responded to a distress call about “rival groups clashing” and used minimal force to restore order. He insisted no teargas entered the building, attributing any reports to “misunderstandings in the heat of the moment”.
The incident has reignited longstanding tensions between Gachagua’s base and elements within the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition, where whispers of internal sabotage have grown louder since the deputy president’s impeachment scare earlier this year.
Supporters see the church attack as a targeted hit to undermine his influence ahead of the 2027 party primaries, with some online sleuths already linking the goons to rival politicians from the region. “This was not random. It was coordinated to embarrass Rigathi during worship,” said one anonymous UDA youth leader.
Citizen TV management has yet to respond officially, but sources inside Royal Media Services indicate an internal review of Letoo’s footage is underway. The veteran journalist, known for his gritty coverage of political skirmishes, has built a reputation for on-the-ground reporting but faced similar bias claims during the 2022 campaigns.
As the story unfolds, Gachagua wrapped his address with a firm declaration of resilience: “The truth of the matter is that we were attacked by goons under police supervision and assistance.”
This episode highlights the fragile line between reporting and partisanship in Kenya’s polarised media landscape, where every broadcast can tip the scales in a high-stakes power game.
