Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu has confirmed that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua instructed him to relay a warning to Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata ahead of the Linda Mwananchi coalition's tour of Ol Kalou and Nyahururu, citing intelligence about planned violence.
Speaking during an interview with a local television station on Monday, July 13, 2026, Nyutu said Gachagua personally contacted him and asked him to caution Kang'ata against attending the political event after receiving information that violence had allegedly been planned.
According to Nyutu, Gachagua told him the alleged violence was intended to create conditions that would compel the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to cancel or postpone the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election scheduled for July 16.
"My party leader, His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua, called me and told me that he had received information that Governor Kang'ata and the Linda Mwananchi Brigade were planning to go and campaign for a candidate in Ol Kalou. He told me to inform my governor that, according to the intelligence he had, violence had been planned with the sole objective of giving the IEBC chair a reason to cancel the Ol Kalou by-election," Nyutu said.
The senator said Gachagua instructed him to advise Kang'ata to stay away from the rally for his own safety, the safety of residents and to safeguard the integrity of the by-election.
"He told me to tell my governor to avoid that particular rally because there was a possibility that violence would be perpetrated and could even result in loss of life. He also said he had deliberately stayed away from campaigning for the DCP candidate because of similar intelligence reports," he added.
Nyutu said he delivered the message to Kang'ata, who informed him that he would first consult before responding. However, the senator said the governor did not get back to him before the events in Nyahururu unfolded.
Asked whether Gachagua disclosed who was allegedly behind the planned violence, Nyutu said he did not seek further details because his role was simply to convey the message.
"I did not ask for more details because I was sent as an emissary. I connected what I had been told with the statement by the IEBC chair that violence could force the commission to stop the by-election," he said.
Nyutu's remarks come a day after Gachagua revealed that he had privately cautioned Kang'ata against attending the political rally in Ol Kalou after receiving what he described as credible intelligence from police sources warning of planned disruptions.
Speaking during an interview on Sunday, July 12, 2026, Gachagua said he cancelled his own scheduled political engagements in Nyandarua County after receiving the intelligence and later informed Nyutu after learning that Kang'ata still intended to attend the event.
The claims come amid heightened political tensions ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, with the IEBC previously warning that persistent violence and electoral offences could affect the conduct of the poll.
