Democracy of the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng'eno was threatened by President William Ruto to support his impeachment last year. These remarks come after Ng'eno's death in a helicopter crash. An old video of Ng'eno recounting an alleged abduction has gone viral online.
During a church service at AIPCA Nyandarua North Diocese in Nyandarua County on March 1, 2026, Democracy of the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua recounted his conversation with the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng'eno before his impeachment. Gachagua said Ng'eno visited him at 2 a.m., in tears, showing messages from President William Ruto threatening dire consequences if he did not sign the impeachment motion. “He came to see me and showed me messages that William Ruto had sent him, threatening him that if he didn't impeach me, he would face dire consequences, and he was crying. He came at 2 a.m. in the morning,” Gachagua stated.
Gachagua advised Ng'eno to sign, saying Ruto already had the numbers in the National Assembly. “I listened to him, and I told him Ruto has the numbers; he has bought everybody, even if you don't sign that impeachment, it will change nothing. Instead of endangering you and your life, and your family, just go ahead and sign. He signed with a lot of tears,” Gachagua added.
Ng'eno was among the 281 National Assembly members who voted to impeach Gachagua on October 8, 2024. The Senate found Gachagua guilty on five counts, including gross violation of the Constitution, corruption, and insubordination, and formally removed him from office on October 17, 2024.
Gachagua also claimed the government bugged his hotel room in Kisumu during Ng'eno's visit, with the National Intelligence Service recording their conversation and reporting back to the President. Ng'eno had warned Gachagua of a scheme to oust him, saying it would destabilize Ruto's government. Nyari MP Muhammad Ali allegedly faced similar threats.
After the impeachment, Gachagua and Ng'eno remained in contact, with their last conversation the previous Sunday. Ng'eno died on February 28, 2026, when helicopter registration 5Y-DSB crashed in the Chepkieb area of Mosop, Nandi County, at around 4:45 p.m., killing all six people on board.
Gachagua has called for an international investigation, including by the FBI, rather than national bodies. A video from a Hot 96 radio interview on June 29, 2025, showing Ng'eno recounting an alleged abduction has gone viral following his death. In the video, Ng'eno said he was picked up from his constituency and held at a police station until 10:30 p.m., then placed in a Land Cruiser with his hands tied. “They picked me from my constituency in the morning to the police station, and we stayed up to 10 p.m. But around 10.30 p.m., some team arrived, I don't know from where, and put me in a Land Cruiser, and they tied my hands to the rail of the Land Cruiser,” Ng'eno recounted.
The vehicle passed through towns including Sotik, Nyamira, and Kisii, before returning to Bomet and entering a forested area. “Then they asked me to alight and told me that do you know we can kill you. I told them, yeah, I know,” he added. Ng'eno said after talking with the abductors, they changed their minds and drove him to Nakuru, where he recorded a statement and was imprisoned.
Ng'eno was a government critic despite hailing from Narok County, a support base for President Ruto. Following his death, tributes came from leaders across the political spectrum, led by Ruto, who described him as “My friend, honourable Ng'eno, was a progressive and devoted servant of the people who worked tirelessly on behalf of the residents of Emurua Dikirr, Narok County. He was focused, vocal, and fearless; a leader who stood firmly for justice and equity for all.”
