
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has recommended disciplinary measures against Nyandarua police leadership for negligence and misconduct following the chaotic incident at Shamata Stadium on December 28.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his delegation were forced to flee for safety when the event, a Thanksgiving gathering at Shamata Stadium, descended into chaos with police deploying tear gas and firing shots.
IPOA’s investigation has determined that the police were responsible for the disorder and called for accountability. The authority conducted its own inquiry into the police’s failure to act appropriately, negligence, and misconduct, and recommended that measures be taken against the officers involved.

The event, initially canceled, had been later approved by the Aberdare Sub-County Security Committee on December 27. IPOA found that at least 60 police officers were deployed to the event without an official operation order. It also noted that the County Police Commander, who led the operation, did not record her presence in the Occurrence Book (OB).
Five officers were arrested earlier in the day for allegedly planning to disrupt the event but were released on orders from the County Police Commander. IPOA highlighted that the released suspects’ details were not properly documented in the OB, raising concerns about accountability.
The police officers involved in the tear gas incident were also released without proper booking or investigation, which IPOA criticized as unprofessional and a sign of negligence. Despite intelligence suggesting potential disruption, no operation order for managing public order was prepared.
During the event, tear gas was deployed near the dais while Nyandarua Senator John Methu was speaking. Though the Senator appeared unaffected, panic spread among the attendees, causing guests, including Gachagua, to flee for safety.