Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua arrested by DCI officers in Nyeri

Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua has been arrested by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in connection with an alleged Ksh.12 billion scandal.

According to reports, a squad of more than 20 detectives arrived at the legislator’s Nyeri home around 4 a.m. on Friday.

The MP told Inooro TV that he was being brought to the DCI headquarters in Nairobi by “friendly officers who were only doing their duty” shortly after his arrest.

He stated he was arrested for allegedly embarrassing the administration during the just ended Kiambaa by-elections.

“I want to tell the people of Mathira to ignore the rumours, their MP has not stolen anything, these are just baseless accusation to intimidate me for my political standing,” the MP said on Friday “They just wanted to arrest me on Friday and detain me for the weekend to punish me, and it is okay,”

An ongoing investigation into the source of Ksh.12.5 billion that flowed through his accounts is at the center of his woes.

However, during an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, the MP said that explaining the source of the money will be a piece of cake because he can account for every penny he owns.

During the same interview, Gachagua, who described himself as a prudent businessman, claimed to have gained his riches through a variety of ventures, including owning a candy factory and organizing discos in his youth.

He further attributed his troubles to political mischief, claiming that no one had pursued him while he was President Uhuru Kenyatta’s personal assistant or a Jubilee supporter.

“Why did they not pursue me when I was supporting President Uhuru? When I was his PA?,” the MP posed “I have done legitimate businesses with the National Government and other people, when the matter comes up for mentioning next month, I will account for every cent I have made,” the MP said on Tuesday.

His problems began, he claims, when he backed Deputy President William Ruto, whose faction of breakaway Jubilee MPs is at odds with the President’s party.

During the interview, the MP was also pressed to address a court case in which his bank accounts were frozen on allegations of public funds embezzlement,

The account was frozen to allow the police to investigate the source of the Ksh.12.5 billion that flowed through his accounts, according to the DCI.

Rigathi is suspected of using proxies to fraudulently secure tenders through 22 companies, with himself as the sole beneficiary.

Detectives had already visited 5 counties, government parastatals, and his own National Government Constituency Development Fund, where he is suspected of fraudulently winning tenders using 22 companies, as of October 2020.

An investigation file obtained by Citizen TV last year revealed that two hairdressers and a former mobile money transfer agent were awarded multimillion-shilling tenders for the National Government and the Mathira Constituency CDF.

Gachagua, on the other hand, claimed that the transactions are not fraudulent.

“These people who are being accused of being nobodies and have done a lot of business were my employees previously. I have empowered and mentored them and made them grow,” Gachagua said.

According to detectives, two companies were paid Ksh.150 million, and a large portion of the money was then transferred to entities owned by the MP, with the DCI focusing on medical supplies to hospitals in five counties and transactions with government firms, including parastatals.