Gachagua: I’m Innocent

By Charles Kinyua and Wilfred Muchire  

Worth Noting:

• He called on anybody who has a shred of evidence that any of his family’s companies has had any dealings with the government to volunteer it to parliament further clarifying that he transferred his shares in companies some of which he registered as long ago as 1999 to his two sons and instructed them not to trade with government at all.
• Three of the named companies were registered by his wife Dorcas who is a pastor in conjuction with other women of the clothe while his and his spouse’s foundations were nonprofit making and had assisted hundreds of vulnerable members of society.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua last night dismissed impeachment bid against him as absurd, trash and act of conmanship.

In an over two-hour televised media brief, the country’s second in command trashed the motion as hurriedly put together to politically hung him as he was of no more political value after having played a key role in cobbling the current administration.

The DP claimed President William Ruto had sanctioned his ouster, a bid he said he would defend himself to the end.

On accusations that he had corrupted amassed over KSh5billion, Gachagua clarified that the properties he had allegedly acquired were owned by his brother who was Nyeri governor the late James Nderitu Gachagua whose vast estate he is a co-adminstrator with prominent lawyer Njoroge Regeru and quantity surveyor Mwai Mathenge.

“One of the properties, Olive Gardens hotel has been sold for Ksh 400m and as one of the declared, I got Ksh20m. My wife was also entitled to 2% which translates to Ksh8m, while my late mother was allocated KSh20m which I hold in trust”, explained the seemingly confident Deputy President.

He laughed off the query ownership of an alleged 40 acre piece of land in Kakuret area of Kieni constituency which he explained he bought from the current area Member of Parliament, Anthony Njoroge Wainaina, nine years ago when neither of them was in an elective position.

“Apparently, there was too much haste in drafting the motion that simple facts as the size of the land could not be ascertained. It is actually 35 acres and was transferred to me in 2015 when I was not even elected as an MP,” clarified Gachagua.

He called on anybody who has a shred of evidence that any of his family’s companies has had any dealings with the government to volunteer it to parliament further clarifying that he transferred his shares in companies some of which he registered as long ago as 1999 to his two sons and instructed them not to trade with government at all.

Three of the named companies were registered by his wife Dorcas who is a pastor in conjuction with other women of the clothe while his and his spouse’s foundations were nonprofit making and had assisted hundreds of vulnerable members of society.

In a killer punch parting shot, Gachagua said that the nation had more pressing issues to deal with like the Adani scandal, the health insurance confusion, rampant corruption and impunity ravaging the country.

In his bid to cleanse himself of allegations of dividing the country on his pet subject of comparing the country to a limited liability company, the fire spitting Deputy President produced a power sharing agreement between the ruling party UDA and other parties among them ANC, Ford K and PAA whose leaders were promised Prime Cabinet Secretary, National Assembly Speaker and his Senate counterpart respectively.

“The residents of Western Kenya should ask both Mudavadi and Wetangula where their 30% share of government is as signed and not blame me when I talk of equity”, advised the DP who seemed to show jabs at his boss who signed the document whose copies he distributed to the press corps.

He wondered what rationale his critics applies when they accuse him of being tribal for advocating the interests of mountain region dwellers, yet they keep quiet when leaders in other region press for the communities interests.

Saying he would not resign, Gachagua revealed that some of critics had sent his friends, imploring upon him to quit.

“When I called this press conference today, there were rumours that I want to resign. I am a man elected by the people of Kenya. More than 7.2 million voters. I have no intention to resign. I have been loyal to the President since I was elected to office.” he said, in his first minute of his addressing, this dispelling rumours he had invited the media to announce his resignation.

Last week, 291 Members of Parliament signed the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The motion laid 10 grounds for DP Gachagua’s ouster ranging from gross violations of the constitution and other laws such as the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Leadership and Integrity Act and the National Cohesion and Integration Act.

The mover of the motion, Kibwezi West MP Mutuse Mwengi said he provided sufficient evidence to support each charge contained in his 57-page motion.

On allegations of acquiring Ksh5.2 Billion, he noted that those behind the motion, added up properties belonging to his late brother and assumed yo be his own.

“Some of the properties named by MP Mutuse in the impeachment motion, like the Olive Garden Hotel and the Queens Gate Apartment, are among those that are in the will.” DP Gachagua explained,

Adding that, “the two acre land in Ruguru Kiamariga in Mathira West has no helipad as alleged by MP Mutuse in the impeachment motion. I bought it at Ksh.3.5M and I usually plant napier grass in that piece of land.”

Similarly DP Gachagua explained that he encouraged his children to purchase the Outspan hotel in Nyeri County when it was put on the market.

However he dispelled romours of his sons buying the Treetops Hotel saying his sons leased the hotel, since it is a government property under the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) but never bought it.

“Since Treetops Hotel opened 45 Kenyans are back to work, the Mama mbogas are supplying vegetables there, butcheries are supplying meat, the traditional Mwomboko dancers are back,” he remarked.

“What crime has the children of the Deputy President done for investing in Kenya and spuring tourism and growth of the economy?”

While warning that overturning the will of the people is no joke he dismissed all the accusations noting that they do not meet the threshold for impeachment.

“I’m innocent on all charges. My apology to President Ruto yesterday is in no way an admission of these ridiculous allegations meant to overturn the will of the people,” he said.