A man who claims he was among those hired to disrupt a post-budget meeting at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi has come forward with explosive allegations, detailing how the operation was allegedly planned, financed by a sitting Member of Parliament, and coordinated with the involvement of plain-clothes police officers.
Speaking to Citizen TV, the man recounted how he and several others were recruited on Thursday evening and initially told they would be disrupting a political meeting associated with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
According to him, the assignment was presented as a paid job worth KSh 2,000 per person, with each recruit instructed to secure a motorcycle and travel in pairs.
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“Akatuambia kuna shughuli ya Rigathi Gachagua tao,” he said, recalling how the mission was first described to the group.
However, upon arriving in Nairobi’s central business district on Friday morning, the group’s target allegedly changed. They were redirected to All Saints Cathedral, where civil society groups had gathered for a post-budget discussion forum.
The man claimed that plain-clothes police officers embedded within the group took charge of the operation, directing the recruits on where to position themselves and how to execute the disruption.
“Kufika huko tukaingia na ma pikipiki, hao mapolisi tulikuwa nao wakasema hii inachoma,” he said.
According to his account, the officers instructed the group to park their motorcycles and move to a nearby construction site believed to be outside the range of surveillance cameras.
However, the plan was reportedly abandoned after one of the recruits noticed CCTV cameras at the location, prompting the group to disperse without receiving their full payment.
The whistleblower further alleged that such operations are common and that politicians frequently hire groups to disrupt events.
He claimed that participants are often encouraged to take advantage of the chaos, including engaging in theft during the disturbances.
He expressed concern that despite allegedly acting on instructions from powerful individuals, members of the group are now facing arrest while those who financed the operation remain untouched.
“Kama mtu alikuwa hapo hatukujua itakuwa hivyo mpaka saa hii polisi wanakimbizana na watu,” he said, noting that at least two members of the group had already been arrested.
The revelations come amid growing scrutiny over the violent disruption of the meeting at All Saints Cathedral.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s Daybreak programme, All Saints Cathedral Provost Rev. Canon Evans Omollo alleged that efforts had already been made to interfere with investigations into the incident.
He claimed that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack was later released following intervention by individuals linked to the financiers of the operation.
Rev. Canon Omollo further alleged that two victims whose mobile phones were stolen during the chaos were each compensated KSh 24,000 in exchange for withdrawing their complaints.
“The said people who financed this stepped in to kill this case because of the publicity it has attracted,” Omollo said. “The guy was released. Two people whose phones were allegedly stolen and went to complain were reimbursed 24,000 each so that this case is killed.”
The incident has also drawn reactions from political leaders. ODM Party Leader Oburu Odinga condemned what he described as the growing culture of political goonism in the country.
“I think the nature of goonism where you have goons for hire by everybody, hired by both sides, that nature of goonism we as leaders should take care of,” Odinga said. “We must make sure that culture is stopped in our country.”
Police have since confirmed that investigations into the attack at All Saints Cathedral are ongoing as authorities seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the disruption and identify those responsible.