Rigathi Gachagua loses Sh200 million Corruption Money to the State
Mathira MP and UDA’s deputy presidential candidate Rigathi Gachagua has lost Sh202 million to the State after the High Court ruled that the money held in four accounts at Rafiki Microfinance is proceeds of corruption.
High Court Judge Esther Maina ruled on Thursday that the lawmaker, admitted that he received the funds form government agencies but there was no evidence that he supplied any services or goods to the government.
In 2020, the High Court froze Sh200 million belonging to Mr Gachagua pending a petition by a State agency for the money to be forfeited to the government.
Documents filed in court showed the funds are suspected to be proceeds of crime because they are payments to companies associated with the legislator and which emanated from government agencies.
According to the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA), preliminary investigations established 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 of the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court stopped the MP and Jenne Enterprises from dealing with or transferring the funds.
