Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has issued explosive allegations against key state agencies and police officers, claiming that over 200,000 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders unlawfully seized from small-scale retailers were redirected and distributed to residents in Nyandarua County during the Ol Kalou by-election campaign.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing at his Karen residence, Gachagua alleged that an unauthorized, ungazetted police unit carried out coordinated raids on licensed small-scale LPG vendors across Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, and Machakos between June and October 2025.
Over 200,000 gas cylinders were reportedly confiscated using private lorries without standard police procedures, inventories, or entries in Occurrence Books (OB).
Gachagua asserted that the seized stock was funneled into private enterprises associated with political figures and state actors, including a firm operating in Kitengela.
The former DP claimed that cylinders distributed to residents in Nyandarua County under government-backed energy programs were, in fact, part of the stock confiscated from affected small-scale traders.
Gachagua directly named senior officers within the police force and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), demanding their immediate arrest, prosecution for abuse of office, and full compensation for impacted traders.
The government and regulatory authorities have previously maintained that enforcement operations in the LPG sector are designed to crack down on illegal gas refilling plants and protect consumer safety. Regulatory enforcement agencies have regularly dismissed past claims from Gachagua regarding state operations as politically motivated.
The allegations add fresh friction to the ongoing political battles surrounding Mt. Kenya regional politics and by-election activities in Nyandarua County.
