He claimed to have survived two food poisonings caused by people he believes to be National Intelligence Service (NIS) agents, in late August and early September this year.

Speaking on Sunday after being released from Karen Hospital, Mr Gachagua said his state security had been withdrawn, he feared for his life and if anything happened to him, President William Ruto should be held responsible.

Appearing in public for the first time since he fell ill Thursday and was rushed to the hospital hours before taking the stand in his Senate impeachment trial, Gachagua, visibly frail but determined , flanked by his wife and family, said the fight to retain his seat is still far from over.

The Senate voted to remove him from office after upholding charges against him by the National Assembly, but the state plans to swear in his replacement, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, on Saturday , a day after the National Assembly approved the president’s nomination, was derailed by the courts which suspended the implementation of the Senate resolution.

“I want to tell Kenyans that I don’t feel safe. For the first time, let me say that on August 30, 2024, in Kisumu, undercover security agents entered my room in Kisumu and bugged it. One of them tried to poison my food, but we detected it and were able to escape the scheme. I was supposed to be killed by poisoning. On September 3, 2024, in Nyeri, another team from the National Intelligence Service came to Nyeri and attempted to poison food that was intended for me and the Kikuyu council of elders,” Mr. Gachagua alleged.

He said he then reported these attempts to the NIS and asked the agents assigned to his office to leave because “I didn’t feel safe.” He now believes that these failed assassination attempts paved the way for his dismissal.

Mr. Gachagua further revealed that shortly after his security was lifted, some agents, whom he believes to be from the NIS, were sent to look for him at the hospital and were “flying over the hospital compound and all the rooms.

“…to the extent that I had to call my wife and children to come and stay in my room in case they entered my room or compromised the people who were caring for me. So, Rigathi Gachagua and his family feel very exposed because these people have already tried to kill us. They have now tried to make us lose power,” he said.

State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed had not responded to these allegations made by Mr. Gachagua at the time of publication.

It was also during this press briefing that the impeached PD recounted what happened to him before being rushed to the hospital last Thursday while the Senate was discussing his impeachment motion.

He said he developed very severe chest pains shortly after leaving the Senate and called his doctor for the past two decades, Dr. Dan Gikonyo of Karen Hospital.

“I informed him of my symptoms and he asked me about the intensity of the pain. While we were talking, I started feeling short of breath and he asked me to get to Karen Hospital as quickly as possible as my symptoms were concerning,” he said.

He then rushed to his car and was taken straight to the hospital. When he arrived, he was in extreme pain and had difficulty breathing.

He discovered that Dr. Gikonyo and his paramedics were waiting for him and he was quickly examined and admitted for observation and potential treatment.

“After I stabilized, Dr. Gikonyo informed me that if I had arrived just 20 minutes later, we would be discussing a very different story. I am grateful for the excellent care I received from him and his team. Although he would have preferred that I remained under observation longer, I insisted on returning home because he thought I was stable enough to continue my recovery there,” he said.

He, however, admitted to feeling weak but overall better as the intense pain had subsided and thanked Kenyans of goodwill for their prayers and support during his illness.

Mr Gachagua then launched a salvo at President Ruto, accusing him of hatching a plan to replace him with “someone who will be a remote controller and will be forced to sign an undated letter of resignation and they will will ask to leave when he asks questions.”

His problems, he explained, were simply due to the fact that he was an honest man who did not allow himself to be intimidated under the gaze of the head of state when decisions he considered detrimental to Kenyans were adopted. by the Cabinet.

“The framers of the 2010 Constitution were clear on the need for an elected vice president. I am the only man in the Cabinet and in the entire government who can stand up to William Ruto and say, “Hey brother, this is not right. This Adani thing is not good for the country, there is too much corruption. This housing issue is being forced on the people of Kenya and they don’t want it, so please don’t force it on them. We find ourselves in a situation where the tender for medical equipment supplied by Kenyans to the Ministry of Health has now been awarded to a single Asian. I told him, “Mr. President, we are killing our people’s business,” he said.

His hopes now rest on the justice system, with his lawyers having gone to court to argue his case after the Senate rejected his request to stay the impeachment motion until he is reinstated. This request was not granted, however, as the Senate decided to debate and vote on his impeachment a few hours after his admission to hospital.

“The 11 counts (presented in his impeachment petition) are nothing but malice and fiction. It was a political game by the president to get rid of me. Looking closely, I don’t think the president had any intention of working with me; I think he just needed me to help him win the elections because of my mobilization ability and the trust that the Mount Kenya region has in me. I think I should have been given a fair chance to defend myself,” he said.

He wonders why the motion, which was not limited in time since it was not discussed by a select committee which should have had 10 days then a report to the plenary, had been rushed when its case, which was before the plenary and therefore did not have time limits.

The impeached vice president then compared the speed with which he was impeached to that of the popular hero, Simon Makonde, who was born on Monday and buried on Sunday.

“The urgency with which Rigathi Gachagua is removed from office is alarming. If this efficiency were applied to the management of the country’s affairs, Kenyans would be much happier. The framers of the Constitution allowed 74 days for this process, but it took place in just half a day. This rush seems to circumvent justice and prevent the courts from examining the case,” he said.

He then recounted that he initially went to court, but was ordered to first wait until the parliamentary impeachment process was completed, lest the courts interfere with the process. .

Now that Parliament has completed its term, the impeached DP said he is fully back in court and expressed hope for a fair decision.

“I urge the President to comply with the court orders as Rigathi Gachagua is still Vice President. Why am I being denied access to official cars and security services? Why has my office become dysfunctional? » he asked.

He further said efforts were made to prevent him from attending the Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kwale and revealed that Wilson Airport management had been instructed not to allow him to use the airport to go to the national day location.

He said helicopter owners had been warned against providing him with transportation, a move he said reeked of malice.

The country’s indicted second-in-command then wondered loudly what sort of mistake a person could make that could turn a former friend into a serious enemy as quickly as President Ruto turned on him.

The fact that all these things happened to him at a time when he was fighting for his life made him question his trust in the head of state whom he says he helped rise to the highest office in the land .

“No one trusted him (President Ruto) when we were the UDA (the ruling party). Everyone, i.e. Moses Wetang’ula (Ford-Kenya party leader), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), and even Amos Kingi (PAA) insisted that they sign a memorandum of understanding! I’m the only one who didn’t sign because I trusted him,” he said.

Nonetheless, Mr Gachagua said he held no grudge against anyone and had only one request to make of President Ruto. Let him and his family be left alone.

“Do what you want but let me live. Let me take care of my children. You can do whatever you want with the country but allow me to live because I was there for you when you needed someone to be there for you. When you were in trouble and needed a man who would stand by you, I stood by you and my family,

“You repaid us in kind by being so cruel and vicious towards us. We are simple people. We are a very small family. Let’s be. Do what you want, but please, Mr. President, I beg you, don’t kill us, don’t kill my children. You’ve caused me enough pain over the past year. Leave me alone, God will take care of me. I don’t need to have security, divers or cars, please let me have my peace at least and remember that I was there for you when you needed ‘a man for you,’ he said.

He then called on Chief Justice Martha Koome to uphold fidelity to Kenya’s constitution and ensure that Kenya is a country governed by the rule of law and to “allow the judicial process to proceed and ensure that this process is not useless. . There are orders requiring Rigathi Gachagua to remain in office until this matter is heard and decided. So be it,” he concluded before heading home in a private car without any sort of security or escort.

A testament to the changing tide for a man who, just a few days ago, rode to the Senate floor with a procession of state-funded vehicles and patrol cars clearing the way for him.