Chaos at Harambee Annex as Gachagua’s Staff Blocked From Accessing Office
Tensions flared this morning at Harambee Annex, Nairobi, as staff working in the office of impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua were unexpectedly barred from entering their workplace.
The Rapid Deployment Unit of the police was stationed at the building, strictly prohibiting media access and preventing journalists from conducting interviews or taking photos.
This surprising turn of events comes shortly after 108 employees at Gachagua’s office were sent on compulsory leave. Those employees, some speaking anonymously, disclosed to Citizen TV that upon arriving at work today, they were turned away without prior notice and instructed to return home until further updates.
The mass leave directive was communicated through a notice issued by Principal Administrative Secretary Patrick Mwangi, which read: “Following the ongoing constitutional process affecting His Excellency the Deputy President, it has been decided as follows: all officers in job groups T and U are hereby instructed to proceed on compulsory leave with immediate effect.” The notice was copied to Chief of Staff Felix Koskei and the Head of the Public Service, further solidifying the office shutdown.
Belgut MP Nelson Koech raised concerns about the situation, questioning the size of Gachagua’s staff and the necessity of having so many advisors. Appearing on Citizen TV’s Daybreak, Koech remarked, “I was reading the notice sent by Mr. Patrick Mwangi, and do you need advisors, for instance, of all sorts and kinds— a food advisor, political advisor? 108 is huge! The country is reeling from unemployment, and I don’t think it was fair for Gachagua to have such a huge number of hangers-on.”
Amid the confusion, Gachagua’s security detail was also withdrawn. Speaking for the first time since his hospitalization, Gachagua expressed his frustrations with President Ruto. “I don’t understand this kind of viciousness towards a man who has been your deputy, who has helped you become president… at his lowest moment in life, when he is literally struggling to stay alive,” Gachagua lamented.
Though Gachagua was recently impeached and replaced by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, the High Court has issued conservatory orders blocking Kindiki’s swearing-in. This latest development raises questions about how the Deputy President’s office will operate moving forward.
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Chaos at Harambee Annex as Gachagua’s Staff Blocked From Accessing Office
