Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has attracted renewed attention after undertaking firearms practice and basic combat-skills training during his ongoing stay in the United States. The former Deputy President has been engaging Kenyans living in the US as part of his wider diaspora activities, while also using the trip to refresh skills he says he acquired decades ago.

Reports published on October 1, 2026, said Gachagua had visited a shooting range in Texas where he and his wife, Rev. Dorcas Gachagua, took part in firearms-related training. He was accompanied by politicians Hon. MejjaDonk Gathiru and Hon. James Gakuya. Photographs from the session showed the group wearing protective equipment, including ear protection and safety glasses, while holding a target used during the shooting exercise.

The Texas shooting-range activity is not the first time Gachagua has publicly spoken about firearms training during his current US tour. In September, a video showing him firing a firearm at a shooting range circulated widely on social media. At the time, Gachagua explained that he had decided to return to shooting practice because of concerns about security in Kenya.

Gachagua recalls training in 1990

Gachagua has linked his current firearms practice to training he received more than three decades ago. During an engagement with Kenyans in Spokane, Washington, in September, he said the last time he underwent training in weaponry and basic combat skills was in 1990.

He explained that his time in the United States provided an opportunity to refresh those skills.

According to reports of his remarks, Gachagua said he was taking time to undertake some weaponry practice and basic combat training. He also explained that he was teaching his wife some basic firearm-handling skills.

The comments provided context for the video that had attracted considerable attention online. Rather than presenting the exercise as preparation for military operations, Gachagua described it as a return to skills he had learned many years earlier and as part of his personal security concerns.

Why Gachagua says he resumed shooting practice

Gachagua has connected his decision to resume firearms practice with what he describes as deteriorating security in Kenya.

During his September address to Kenyans in Spokane, he argued that insecurity had become a major concern and said he wanted to ensure that both he and his wife had some knowledge of handling firearms. He referred to the threat posed by what he called “goons” and said people needed to remain alert.

His comments came within a broader political discussion about security, governance and the country's political environment. Gachagua has repeatedly criticised the government over security-related issues and has accused authorities of failing to adequately protect citizens. Those are political claims made by Gachagua and should be understood as part of his political messaging rather than as an independently established assessment of Kenya's security situation.

The former Deputy President has also told Kenyans in the diaspora that they have an important role to play in the country's future, particularly through their expertise, technology, investments and remittances.

Rev. Dorcas Gachagua also takes part

One of the notable aspects of the latest training session is the participation of Gachagua's wife, Rev. Dorcas Gachagua.

Reports said Gachagua had arranged for her to receive basic self-defence and firearm-handling training. He previously explained that his motivation was to make sure she understood the basics of handling a firearm in case she ever faced a dangerous situation.

The participation of his wife has added another dimension to the public discussion surrounding the shooting-range visit. Supporters have viewed the activity as personal security preparation, while reactions online have varied, with some Kenyans questioning the political message behind a former senior government official publicly displaying firearms training.

The available reports, however, do not establish that Gachagua is preparing for any military operation or armed political activity. What has been reported is that he attended a shooting range and practised firearm-related skills.

The Texas connection

Gachagua's activities in Texas are taking place during a wider US tour in which he has been meeting Kenyans living abroad.

In late September, reports showed him in Dallas, Texas, where he described the area as a “home away from home” while interacting with members of the Kenyan diaspora. His US engagements have included meetings with Kenyans and discussions about political and national issues.

The Texas shooting-range visit therefore comes against the backdrop of a politically active overseas tour. Gachagua has continued to speak about Kenya's political direction, the 2027 General Election and the role of opposition parties.

He has also been promoting his Democracy for the Citizens Party, commonly known as DCP, while discussing possible cooperation among opposition politicians.

From security training to politics

The shooting practice has become part of a broader conversation surrounding Gachagua's political activities.

During his September engagement in Spokane, he discussed the possibility of opposition leaders working together ahead of the 2027 General Election. He said he was prepared to work with other opposition figures and even discussed the possibility of serving as a running mate to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna if political negotiations eventually settled on such an arrangement.

That means the firearms-training story has emerged at the same time that Gachagua is positioning himself politically ahead of the next general election.

However, the two issues should not automatically be treated as connected. The reports available about the shooting-range activities describe them as firearms practice, personal security preparation and the refreshing of skills learned decades ago. His political statements were made separately during diaspora engagements.

What the shooting-range images showed

Images and reports from the latest session showed Gachagua and those accompanying him at a shooting facility. Participants were photographed wearing safety equipment and handling firearms under range conditions.

A target containing multiple bullet marks was also displayed. Such targets are commonly used at shooting ranges to assess accuracy and firearm-handling practice.

The public images generated significant discussion because Gachagua is a former Deputy President and remains an influential political figure. His appearance with a firearm therefore attracted considerably more attention than an ordinary private citizen's visit to a shooting range might receive.

Nevertheless, the available reports do not provide evidence that the activity was connected to a government security operation, military deployment or preparations for violence.

His previous security background

Gachagua's explanation that he trained in weaponry and basic combat skills in 1990 is connected to his earlier career in public administration and security-related government service.

Before becoming a prominent politician, Gachagua worked in Kenya's public service. He later entered elective politics and served as Member of Parliament for Mathira before becoming Deputy President in 2022.

He served as Deputy President under President William Ruto from September 2022 until his removal from office following the impeachment process in October 2024.

His previous government experience helps explain why his comments about security and firearms have attracted considerable public interest.

Public reaction

The shooting-range activity has generated different reactions among Kenyans online.

Some reactions have focused on the practical argument that individuals may wish to understand basic firearm safety and self-defence, particularly where firearms are legally permitted and training takes place under controlled conditions.

Other reactions have questioned the political symbolism of a former Kenyan Deputy President displaying firearms practice while travelling abroad and discussing insecurity at home.

The difference in reactions reflects the wider political environment surrounding Gachagua. Since leaving the Deputy Presidency, he has remained active in Kenyan politics and has increasingly positioned himself as an opposition figure.

It is therefore important to distinguish between what is documented and what is speculation. It is documented that Gachagua visited a shooting range, practised firearms skills and said he was refreshing skills acquired in 1990. It is also documented that he connected the training to concerns about security and that he discussed teaching his wife basic firearm-handling skills.

There is no verified information in the cited reports showing that the training was connected to plans for armed political activity.

Why the story is attracting attention

The story has attracted attention for several reasons. First, Gachagua is a former Deputy President and remains an active political leader. Second, the shooting-range images appeared publicly at a time when he has been making strong statements about security and politics in Kenya.

Third, his decision to revisit firearms and basic combat skills after many years has raised questions about why he chose to do so now.

Gachagua's own explanation has been that security concerns motivated him. He has argued that the current environment requires people to be more alert and that he wanted his wife to have basic knowledge of firearm handling.

The latest Texas session therefore represents another public chapter in a story that began with the viral shooting-range video in the United States and Gachagua's subsequent explanation in Spokane.