Dark Political Storm Brewing as Gachagua Rejects State Lounge Project In Meru Fiercely!

Added: 2026-06-05

[00:00:00]catchment area that is source of water for 47 springs and all the rivers in Tharaka County Tharaka Nithi County and Meru County.

[00:00:12]The destruction of this water catchment area spells doom for the people of the two counties.

[00:00:19]If this water catchment area is interfered with livelihoods will be destroyed and Meru, one of the most productive counties in Kenya the breadbasket of this country that produces maize bananas, beans and all other food crops in addition to coffee and tea because of the good rains the people of Meru will be in trouble and their source of income, their source of livelihood will be destroyed.

[00:00:56]The people of Meru do not need a state lodge.

[00:00:59]It's a luxury that they are not interested in.

[00:01:02]The people of Meru do not need a golf course.

[00:01:07]Those are luxuries and they are not a priority for the people of Meru.

[00:01:14]The people of Meru want water for irrigation.

[00:01:17]They want good roads.

[00:01:19]They want good prices for miraa coffee and tea and milk.

[00:01:24]They want good hospitals.

[00:01:26]They want a good environment to do farming and to do business.

[00:01:32]We are therefore calling upon President William Ruto that for the 14 months that are remaining, he doesn't need a state lodge in Meru.

[00:01:44]We have a state lodge here in Sagana, which is only 20 minutes by way of flight to Meru.

[00:01:51]He can serve the people of Meru from Sagana state lodge.

[00:01:55]And if he must put up a state lodge, he should not destroy our forest.

[00:02:00]>> Yes.

[00:02:01]>> If he has money, he can buy land from the people of Meru and put up a state lodge.

[00:02:06]He can buy land from the people of Meru and put up a golf course.

[00:02:11]We are saying the people of Meru will resist the destruction of this forest.

[00:02:18]And we are a bit saddened that one of our sons, Principal Secretary Mugambi, is in charge of forestry.

[00:02:25]He cannot be used by Ruto to destroy home, the livelihood of his people.

[00:02:33]So, we are calling upon President William Ruto and his fake deputy to abandon this issue of putting up a state lodge in Imenti Forest.

[00:02:44]>> Completely.

[00:02:44]>> And if they want to put up a state lodge, they can put it up elsewhere.

[00:02:49]Because this is not a priority for the people of Meru.

[00:02:53]We have asked the people of Meru to write a petition to the government, to the county government, and we have also asked people who are in conservation to start proceedings for court action.

[00:03:06]If the worst comes to the worst, I, Rigathi Gachagua, and the leadership of Meru will have no choice but to call the people of Meru for mass action to resist the destruction of the water catchment area >> Yes.

[00:03:23]>> in Imenti Forest >> Yes.

[00:03:25]>> that will spell doom for the people of the great county of Meru and Tharaka-Nithi.

[00:03:31]Number two, the leaders have discussed with me deteriorating security situation on the border with Isiolo.

[00:03:40]The people of Igembe North, the people of Buuri, the people of Tigania West have not known peace for the last 3 years since I left office.

[00:03:52]I used to be a buffer zone for those people when they were under attack.

[00:03:56]Bandits have wrecked havoc on the people of Meru County.

[00:04:01]So far, 146 people have died in the hands of bandits.

[00:04:10]120,000 heads of cattle have been stolen.

[00:04:15]500,000 sheep and goats have been stolen.

[00:04:20]And the government has done nothing.

[00:04:24]2 months ago, the fake Deputy President promised action and gave an undertaking that banditry would be a thing of the past.

[00:04:33]After his announcement, things have become worse.

[00:04:37]More people have died. More heads of cattle have been stolen.

[00:04:42]On top of that, the military exercise the the security operation that was ordered, people have been evacuated.

[00:04:51]And they are not farming. Despite that evacuation, theft and killings continue.

[00:04:58]We have now credible information that this evacuation is not informed by strategic security interventions. Rather, it is a scheme to grab this land that is known to have precious minerals that can benefit the people of Meru that would would to be taken away from the people of Meru.

[00:05:23]We are calling upon the government, President William Ruto, the people of Meru we elected you.

[00:05:30]We asking you, all these policemen who are harassing people who are demonstrating, all these police officers who are attacking churches, all these police officers who are all over harassing innocent people, why don't you deploy them to Meru to help the people of Meru to restore security to restore sanity in that particular area.

[00:05:57]I am afraid if this situation continues I'll have no alternative but to call upon the people of Meru to defend themselves.

[00:06:09]Because if their government cannot defend them we cannot afford we cannot allow these killings to continue.

[00:06:18]These killings must come to an end.

[00:06:21]And I'm telling the fake deputy president to be very ashamed that he claims to be our son yet our people are being killed like chicken.

[00:06:33]Our livestock is being stolen every day when he's busy with helicopters bribing people with rice and beans and money for Ruto's re-election.

[00:06:44]He has no business calling himself our son.

[00:06:49]Why is he occupying that office?

[00:06:52]When I was in that office I never let the people of Meru to suffer.

[00:06:56]I would take immediate action anytime they were under siege.

[00:07:01]How can he pretend to occupy that office when the people he says they are his people are under siege from bandits, from criminals. They are in anguish. They are not sleeping.

[00:07:14]They are crying.

[00:07:15]They are funeralized every week.

[00:07:18]Children are becoming orphaned. Women are becoming widows.

[00:07:22]And he claims that he's in a big office.

[00:07:25]And he's busy telling us to give William Ruto another chance.

[00:07:29]How can the people of Meru even consider giving William Ruto even another day in office when their people are refugees in their own country.

[00:07:42]When they cannot sleep at night because of insecurity.

[00:07:45]This is unacceptable.

[00:07:47]And as I have said, we'll observe in the next two weeks, and I'll go to Meru, and then we'll have to make a decision on what to do.

[00:07:57]Thirdly, we reject in total as the people of Meru, the establishment of an Ebola center in Laikipia.

[00:08:10]We have every reason to believe that this Ebola center is a strategic plan by William Ruto to wipe out the Mount Kenya community.