Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has blasted the National Intelligence Service who he alleges failed to brief the President on time about the impending deadly mass protests witnessed on Tuesday.

The DP claimed NIS boss Noordin Haji failed to inform the President about the magnitude of the protests in time to avert the unprecedented carnage and loss of lives.

“And I sympathise with my boss President William Ruto because this information was not available to him,” Gachagua said.

He spoke on Wednesday evening at his residence in Mombasa.   

The DP said following this very critical oversight, Haji should do the most honourable thing and resign.

“We have a dysfunctional National Intelligence Service that has exposed the President, the government and the people of Kenya," he claimed.

"Had the National Intelligence Service briefed the President two months ago about how the people feel about the Finance Bill, 2024, so many Kenyans would not have died, property would not have been destroyed, offices would not have been destroyed. There would have been no mayhem, but they slept on the job.”

Gachagua said it had to take nationwide protests for the president to know the truth about how people felt about the proposed new taxes in the Bill "yet there is an organisation paid for by the public to brief the President and the government about the feeling of the Kenyan people".

The DP further claimed that senior National Police Service officers told him in confidence that they did not have prior intelligence about the magnitude of the protests organised largely by Gen Z.

He said due to this, the security apparatus deployed to quell the protests were caught off guard by the intesity of the demonstrations.

Gachagua, who is the President's principal assistant, said Haji should take responsibility for the resultant mayhem visited upon the country.

"And he must do the honourable thing, not just take responsibility, and resign from that office."

On Tuesday, the country witnessed unprecedented levels of civil disobedience as Kenyans marched to protest Parliament's decision of passing the Finance Bill, 2024.

The piece of legislation was given the nod of approval by 195 MPs against 106 who voted to shoot it down.

The outcome sparked anger and fury amongst protesters who overan security barricades and stormed Parliament buildings in a futile attempt to 'greet' the legislators.

Several protesters were shot dead in the ensuing melee while the Senate section of the House was vadalised and set on fire.

President William Ruto in an address later in the day termed the acts treasoneous and vowed that no more acts of lawlessness would occur under his watch.

But on Wednesday, the President toned down and in an address to the nation from State House, Nairobi, said the people had spoken and he had listened and would not assent to the Bill.

"I send condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in this unfortunate manner. Consequently, having reflected on the continuing conversation around the content of the Finance Bill of 2024, I will decline to assent to the bill," he said.

The President committed to engage with the youth to listen to their issues and agree with them on their priority areas of concern.

He also said that a multi-sectoral, multistakeholder engagement would be convened within 14 days with a view to charting the way forward on matters relating to the content of the Bill.