Nairobi News

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Gachagua: I spent millions to campaign for Uhuru


Mathira lawmaker Rigathi Gachagua has lifted the lid on how he spent millions of shillings to finance President Uhuru Kenyatta’s campaigns during the 2013 and 2017 general elections.

In an interview with NTV, Gachagua, who is battling several related fraud charges in court, wondered why the President had turned against him after he offered him unconditional support back in the day.

“I was Uhuru’s personal assistant in 2002. Nobody questioned me then and yet I was doing business,” he claimed.

“In 2013, I spent a lot to campaign for him because he is my friend. Come 2017, during the repeat elections I asked the President and his Deputy (William Ruto) to leave the whole of Nyeri County to me. I spent millions of shillings in hiring cars, fuelling them, putting up billboards, and campaigning for their re-election.”

Gachagua, who is out on bond, after denying charges of unlawfully receiving Sh7 billion also claims he has been targetted by the government owing to his close relationship with Ruto.

“Kenyans know that doing business is not a mistake. Chinese do business here worth Sh40 billion and there is nothing wrong with that. The French are doing big business in this country and nobody has ever questioned that. But for Gachagua, because he is African and Kenyan, people question my business dealings. I believe the problem here is that I am supporting Ruto (to succeed President Kenyatta) and for that, I have decided that there is no turning back.”

Gachagua has been charged with conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, fraudulent acquisition of public property, money laundering, acquisition of proceeds of crime, and conflict of interest.

He is charged alongside nine others who were not before the court. They include William Wahome Mwangi, Anne Nduta Ruo, Julianne Jahenda Makaa, Samuel Murimi, Grace Wambui Kariuki, Lawrence Kimaru, Irene Wambui Ndigiriri, David Reuben and a company M/s Rapid Medical Supplies