Opposition abandons talks with IG Kanja, moves to privately prosecute 12 police officers, 2 MPs

The United Opposition has announced that it will no longer engage the office of the Inspector General of Police and will instead initiate private criminal prosecutions against 12 police officers and two Members of Parliament over the attack at Witima ACK Church and what they term as an attempted assassination plot targeting former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

In a strongly worded statement signed by Gachagua alongside Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Eugene Wamalwa (DAP-K), and Fred Matiang’I (Jubilee), the coalition said it had lost confidence in the leadership of the National Police Service (NPS) and would stop holding further meetings with IG Douglas Kanja.

“The United Alternative Government hereby announces that we shall not be returning to the office of the Inspector General of Police,” the leaders said, signalling a complete breakdown in cooperation with the police command.

The opposition said it first met Kanja at Jogoo House in Nairobi on January 30, 2026, following what they described as a violent attack at Witima ACK Church in Othaya and an attempted assassination of Gachagua.

They claimed they left the meeting believing investigations would proceed independently, but a follow-up appointment two weeks later did not materialise after the IG reportedly became unavailable.

“We have however since been reliably informed that investigations into the Witima ACK Church attack have in fact been concluded. The perpetrators have been identified: twelve police officers who executed the attack using two Land Cruiser vehicles from Nairobi. The financiers have also been identified: two Members of Parliament from Murang'a and Nyeri counties,” read the statement.

“We further understand that the investigative file was ready for transmission to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Shockingly, that file has reportedly been intercepted by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Kipchumba Murkomen, with directions that no prosecution shall take place.”

They described the alleged move as interference with justice, calling out CS Murkomen for criminal abuse of power and alleged use of government machinery to shield the said perpetrators from accountability.

As a result, the opposition said it would pursue private prosecution, relying on constitutional and statutory provisions that allow individuals or entities to institute criminal proceedings where the State fails to act.

“The United Alternative Government hereby announces that we shall, without further delay, initiate private prosecutions against: all twelve (12) police officers who participated in the Witima ACK Church attack and the attempted assassination of Rigathi Gachagua; the two (2) Members of Parliament who financed and facilitated this criminal operation,” read the statement.

They maintained that the threshold for private prosecution had been met, arguing that the public prosecution authority had not only failed to act but had been “actively directed not to act.”

At the same time, the coalition placed the police on notice over planned political gatherings in Nairobi, Kisii, Nyamira and Nakuru, warning against interference with what they described as lawful assemblies protected under Article 37 of the Constitution.

They accused security agencies of past intimidation and said they would document and challenge any future disruptions.

“Let it be clear: we will not legitimise inertia, obstruction, or political interference by continuing to make ceremonial visits to an office that has chosen silence over accountability,” the leaders said.

They added that justice for the victims of the church attack would proceed “with or without the cooperation of a compromised Inspector General.”