Water cannons, anti-riot police deployed at JKIA ahead of Gachagua's return

A heavy police deployment has been witnessed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi ahead of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's anticipated return from his tour of the United States.

As of Thursday mid-morning, anti-terror police officers occupied parts of the nation's main airport, and water cannons were parked at strategic points.

Meanwhile, Gachagua's supporters, clad in his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) attire, had thronged at the airport.

"Our countdown is at two hours until we receive, and I am sure that he has seen many Kenyans here to receive him. This is to show that he is listening to Kenyans and he is very connected to their issues," one of his supporters told Citizen Digital.

The DCP leader, who was impeached last October after his fallout with President William Ruto, is expected to jet back to Kenya after six weeks in the U.S., where he mobilized supporters and held public forums with Kenyans in the diaspora, criticising Ruto's administration for corruption, extrajudicial killings, and human rights violations.

His return, however, faces a possible face-off between his supporters and the authorities.  While DCP has called for over one million supporters to throng JKIA to welcome their leader, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said the government is prepared to take legal action should the mobilisation degenerate into lawlessness.

Gachagua plans to proceed to Kamukunji grounds after his arrival, and CS Murkomen has cautioned that the rally will only be allowed if the party has made the requisite notifications to the police for adequate security deployment.

CS Murkomen has maintained that the government will not allow unsanctioned public rallies to disrupt peace and business in Nairobi during Gachagua’s planned return.

At the same time, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has announced that the National Police Service (NPS) is fully in charge of security arrangements and expects “normalcy” during Gachagua’s arrival.