Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday night, October 7, 2024, addressed the nation, according the general public his side of the story ahead of his appearance before the National Assembly on Tuesday, October 8 for his impeachment hearing.
DP Gachagua claimed that his impeachment had nothing to do with gross misconduct or allegations of corruption levelled against him.
The deputy president denied allegations that he accumulated wealth totalling Ksh5.2 billion in his two years in office as stated in the impeachment motion by Kibwezi West Member of Parliament Mwengi Mutuse.
DP Gachagua explained that some of the properties listed in the motion belonged to his late brother, former Nyeri Governor James Nderitu Gachagua and that he was listed as the executor of his late brother’s will.
The second in command revealed to the public that he would share his brother’s will during the impeachment hearing to confirm the legality of their ownership.
He further claimed that one of the properties, Olive Gardens Hotel was sold at Ksh412 million as envisioned by his late brother and distributed the money among brothers, sisters, and children of the late governor.
Gachagua explained that he received Ksh20 million from a 5 per cent stake left to him by Nderitu. He was also mandated with executing a combined 10 per cent stake left to his deceased mother and another late brother, Fred Gachagua.
He explained that the Vipingo property is still under the estate of his late brother, but the family resorted to holding onto it for sentimental value.
According to the deputy president, his late brother owned 8 apartment buildings in the Lang’ata area, of which he was listed as a beneficiary. He revealed that he chaired a family meeting in which they agreed to not sell the properties, but rather manage them and have the beneficiaries share the profits.
He called out the mover of the motion for dragging his late brother to the centre of his politically motivated ouster.
“People may have money and power, but they must remember it is honourable to respect the dead. Stop disrespecting my late brother who worked hard for his wealth,” the DP stated.
Gachagua further explained that he owns the largest dairy farm in Mathira Constituency and earns Ksh1.5 million per month from the farm.
On the 40-acre piece of land owned by him, the deputy president explained that the property is actually 35 acres which he bought from Kieni Member of Parliament Njoroge Wainaina in 2015 before he joined elective politics.
He refuted owning 80 acres of land in Meru, correcting the fact that he only owns 29 acres which he bought with a loan from Solution Sacco in his mother’s birth home in Kibirichia, Meru County.
DP Gachagua castigated MP Mutuse for digging up stories of properties he acquired before holding elective office.
He noted that he made a majority of his wealth working in the private sector for 15 years, a majority of them under the late President Mwai Kibaki era when the country enjoyed a stable economic environment.
“I want to confirm to the public that none of the companies associated with my children has ever done business with the government. And for those saying otherwise, I am demanding proof. I have always told them to do business with the private sector through agriculture and other ventures,” he said.
Gachagua further explained that he founded his furniture company in the late 90s with his wife and operated in Rongai. After it closed shop, the deputy president revealed that they built 50 flats in Rongai which are managed by the company and they pay taxes.
He revealed that he established Wamunyoro Construction Company in 2001 while he worked in the private sector and owned a lot of property. He noted that the company has yet to do any business since he became deputy president in August 2022.
Gachagua explained that his sons acquired Outspan Hotel in Nyeri County in the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic with which they acquired a leasehold to manage the Treetops Hotel which he claimed is owned by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and cannot be sold.
Through their company, Gachagua claims his sons borrowed a loan of Ksh600 million from a local bank with which they bought Outspan Hotel and took over the leasehold of Treetops Hotel.
The second in command noted that since the acquisition of the properties, people of the Aberdare region have accessed multiple opportunities brought forth by the hotels.
“What crime have the children of the deputy president of the government of Kenya done by buying hotels and spurring tourism in the country, creating employment and spurring business,” Gachagua posed.
“How unfair can a country be for condemning its young people for being enterprising?”
The deputy president highlighted that he is aware of the children of multiple Kenyan leaders whose children have resorted to stashing their money away in Dubai and the Cayman Islands, yet his children are vilified for choosing to invest in Kenya.
