No longer at ease: Gachagua's billions that are a source of his troubles
Features
By
Hudson Gumbihi
| Oct 04, 2024
Beleaguered Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is being accused of the very charges he was cleared of almost a year ago.
Among the 11 grounds for impeaching the second-in-command is corruption — a label that clung to him during the final years of President Uhuru Kenyatta's term. Kenyatta, through former Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti, was accused of weaponizing the anti-graft war.
Images of Gachagua, also known as Kanda ya Wira, being driven to DCI headquarters after his arrest from his Nyeri home are still fresh in the minds of many Kenyans.
That was on July 23, 2021, when dozens of DCI officers raided his home at around 5 a.m. over money laundering charges. “I am being driven to Nairobi at reckless speed to spend the weekend in the cells. I am happy it is finally over. It has been two years of hell; being arrested and released, writing countless statements, being prosecuted in the media, intimidation, and harassment to me and my family,” he said.
The then Mathira MP, while defending himself, claimed the charges were politically instigated. Some of his bank accounts were frozen to allow detectives to probe the source of the Sh7.3 billion wired into the accounts.
“To our tormentors and persecutors, you only have one year remaining. We shall have a new democratic Government that does not use the criminal justice system to manage politics,” he said.
The arrest, Gachagua vowed, would not sway his firm support for then DP William Ruto, who was campaigning to succeed Uhuru.
“In the fullness of time, my innocence will be pronounced. I am not cowed or intimidated,” he said.
Ruto and Gachagua would later ascend to the presidency through the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket. For one year, the two demonstrated camaraderie as they crisscrossed the country, thanking Kenyans for electing them.
In the interim, the corruption charges were dropped, and Gachagua was declared a clean man. On November 8, 2022, then Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji applied to withdraw the Sh7.3 billion corruption charges.
The lead investigating officer, Obadiah Kuria, told the anti-corruption court magistrate Victor Wakumila that there were loose ends in the multi-billion case, and proceeding with it would be prejudicial.
Kuria claimed in an affidavit that Kinoti had instructed him to fix Gachagua without conducting thorough investigations.
Fast forward, the relief was short-lived. He is now accused of using his office as the DP to unjustly enrich himself. MPs pushing for his ouster in the impeachment motion tabled by Kibwezi West lawmaker Mwengi Mutuse have accused him of corruption — the same charges that faced the self-styled Mt Kenya kingpin during the previous Uhuru regime.
Gachagua is accused of amassing wealth illegally through his wife, two sons, and other close family members as proxies. Mutuse, in the motion tabled on October 1, 2024, alleges that Gachagua uses 22 companies to launder money and conceal the proceeds of crime.
He is being accused of committing gross economic crimes, namely, conflict of interest, abuse of office, and conspiracy to commit crimes by inexplicably amassing property estimated at Sh5.2 billion, which is incompatible with his known legitimate income, and trading with the Office of the DP through proxies.
“The value of the property and wealth that His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua has acquired over the last two years is incompatible with his known legitimate income of about Sh12 million per annum,” said Mutuse in the National Assembly.
But a day before the motion was tabled, the DP, in a media interview, defended himself against allegations that his net worth had ballooned exponentially after UDA rose to power.
“I’m not involved in corruption. I have always been in business, even before I became a government official. My sons have never worked with the government as I have always told them to invest in the private sector. If there is anyone who has evidence of any business dealings, they can come forward,” stated Gachagua.
Some of the companies listed in the motion, through which the wealth was allegedly acquired “corruptly,” include Spirit Way Limited, Fortis Vis Group, Grand Bypass Apartments Limited, Kuruwiti Properties Limited, The Anansi Collective, Biovet (K) Limited, Calvary Creed International Limited, Cosmere Venture Limited, Crystal Kenya Limited, Delta Merchants Limited, Vipingo Beach Resort Limited, and the Rigathi Gachagua Foundation.
“Kenyans know very well that when I took office, I was not poor. In 2019, I was worth Sh12 billion. In 2022, I had Sh7 billion to my name,” said the DP during the interview.