President William Ruto has strongly criticised leaders he says are politicising the recent violent protests, accusing them of making dangerous claims that the chaos was targeted at one community.

He urged those with credible information about the individuals behind the attacks and destruction of property to report to authorities instead of fueling tribal tensions.

Speaking in response to allegations that a government official may have played a role in the chaos witnessed during the Saba Saba demonstrations, Ruto dismissed the claims as reckless and unacceptable.

“I hear that someone has said in a statement that the government organised people to invade, burn and destroy businesses of people from one community. If that person is man enough, they should tell us who they are, go and write a statement and tell us who those people are, don’t just speak nonsense, politicising that is unacceptable,” said Ruto.

He warned that politicising violence and destruction of property only serves to divide the country, and called on leaders to be responsible.

“If any leader has information to the effect that the burning of citizens’ properties in Meru, Kiambu, Kirinyaga and Murang’a was orchestrated by any official in government, if you are a responsible leader provide that information to the public so that those behind the heinous acts can be taken to court and charged for criminal activity,” he added.

Ruto said it was wrong to play politics with the pain of Kenyans whose businesses were destroyed during the protests.

“If you are playing politics with businesses of people who are shedding tears because they have lost their properties and businesses, then shame on you,” he said.

The President’s remarks come amid rising tensions following remarks by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who on Wednesday made explosive claims about the existence of a killer squad allegedly formed while he was still in office.

Gachagua alleged that the unit was made up of 101 officers drawn from the Administration Police and was trained by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to carry out abductions, killings and cover-ups.

“This squad of 101 people was formed when I was still in government. The officers were recruited from the Administration police unit for special training by NIS on abductions, killings and cover-up,” he said.

He made the remarks in reference to a viral video showing a heavily armed and masked group shooting at protesters on July 7 at an undisclosed location, which he claimed was the same squad he had warned about.