Rigathi Gachagua, the man Deputy President William Ruto has chosen as his running mate is no stranger to controversy. He has been arrested severally, and is alleged to have masterminded a multi-billion corruption scandal, which he alleges as witch hunt from the government.
In 2020, the State filed documents in court that showed how Gachagua received billions of money from the government in his private accounts within seven years.
The documents filed in court showed that within seven years, the MP received Sh. 5.8 billion, which included funds from companies or business entities providing services to ministries, state agencies and county governments.
This meant that per day, the MP got an equivalent average of Sh. 2.3 million over the said period. These revelations came as the court blocked some Sh. 200 million in his account.
The court ruled that the MP’s accounts at Rafiki Micro Finance bank would remain frozen for a period of 90 days. Rigathi had three accounts at Rafiki Microfinance Bank under his name. A firm by the name Wamunyoro Investment had two accounts while the third is Technical Supplies and Services Kenya Limited.
In May 2020, Milimani Court Senior Resident Magistrate Muthoni Nzibe barred Gachagua and five companies associated with him and his close allies from transacting with the accounts at Rafiki Microfinance Bank for seven days. The order was given to allow ARA to probe money laundering and graft claims against him.
The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) claimed that Mr Gachagua and Jenne Enterprises Limited were involved in a suspected complex scheme of money laundering.
The funds emanated from the Ministry of Lands (Kenya Informal Settlements Programme), State Department for Special Planning, Ministry of Health, Bungoma County government, Mathira Constituency Development Fund, Nyeri County government and the National Irrigation Board.
Justice John Onyiego then of the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court stopped the MP and Jenne Enterprises from dealing with or transferring the funds.
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The funds at Rafiki Micro Finance Bank were held in three accounts, with one holding Sh. 165 million, a second account holds Sh. 35 million while the other holds Sh. 773,228. All the three were registered in the name of MP Rigathi Gachagua. A fourth account, holding Sh. 1,138,142, is registered in the name of Jenne Enterprises,” the report said.
In October 2020, the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) told the court that it could not find bank statements to show how the balance Sh. 5.1 billion out of Sh. 12.4 billion were withdrawn from the fixed deposit account of Gachagua.
The MP’s accounts had a balance of Sh. 200 million after Sh. 7.3 billion was withdrawn. Apparently, Gachagua had received more than Sh. 12.5 billion through three accounts at Rafiki Micro Finance Bank in a period of seven years.
“Within the said period, account at Rafiki Microfinance Bank in the name of the 1st respondent, Rigathi Gachagua, operated as a collection account conducted several suspicious transactions and received suspect funds from the companies/business entities which had received huge suspicious payments from National government ministries, agencies and county government,” the agency said in its suit papers.
