Political commentator Tony Gachoka has alleged that more than 200 armed men raided his family’s home in Thika, Kiambu County, in an incident he says left his sister, journalist Ciku Muiruri, seriously assaulted and the family displaced.
In a statement, Gachoka claimed the attack took place at around 3am on October 12, 2026, and accused police officers and people he linked to the eviction dispute of being involved in the incident.
He alleged that the men arrived armed with crude weapons and confiscated mobile phones belonging to family members, preventing them from seeking immediate assistance.
Gachoka further claimed that Muiruri was assaulted during the raid and that the family’s property was damaged. He accused police officers of facilitating the removal of family members from the property despite an order suspending the eviction.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and the statement did not include responses from the police or the individuals accused.
Gachoka traced the dispute to proceedings before the Business Premises Rent Tribunal (BPRT), involving a property described as a coffee farm with a residential house where Muiruri lives.
According to his account, Floriculture Limited filed a case on April 9, 2026, after which an eviction order was issued on April 16 without the family being heard.
He said the family’s lawyer, Gwandaru Thuita, later obtained an order from Justice Joyce Osodo suspending the eviction. However, Gachoka alleged that the suspension was subsequently lifted by tribunal member Gad Kipkurui Chemoiyai in proceedings conducted without the family’s participation.
Gachoka said the tribunal chairman later heard the matter and ruled on September 17 that the property did not qualify as business premises and that Muiruri was not a tenant. He added that Floriculture Limited was ordered to pay KSh200,000 in costs after the tribunal found that it had been misled.
However, Gachoka alleged that the company returned to the tribunal on September 24 with another application seeking Muiruri’s eviction.
He claimed a fresh eviction order was issued on October 5, despite the earlier ruling, and was subsequently used as the basis for the October 12 raid.
Gachoka further claimed that Thuita personally served the order suspending the eviction on senior police officers in Thika, including the OCPD, DCI, OCS and the head of the Administration Police.
He accused officers at the scene of allowing the forcible removal of his mother and other family members, even though he said the eviction order specifically targeted Muiruri.
He also alleged that police officers remained at the property after the incident while the men continued occupying the land and carrying out construction.
According to Gachoka, his mother and other relatives have since been living in a tent on the property, allegedly surrounded by armed men.
He accused those involved of offences including forcible entry, robbery with violence, assault occasioning grievous harm and malicious damage to property. These remain allegations in his statement and no findings of criminal responsibility have been established in the information provided.
Gachoka said he had initially avoided publicising the dispute because he wanted it treated as a criminal investigation rather than becoming a political controversy.
He linked the alleged attack to his public activities and a legal dispute involving Safaricom, claiming that his work had put him at odds with the government. He did not provide independent evidence establishing that the alleged raid was connected to those activities.
The allegations raise questions that would need to be addressed through an investigation, including the circumstances surrounding the eviction orders, whether the suspension order was served and respected, and the reported assault and property damage.
