[DETAILS] How Gachagua Told Off Ruto Over Corruption-Shrouded Adani Deal

[DETAILS] How Gachagua Told Off Ruto Over Corruption-Shrouded Adani Deal

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has again slammed President William Ruto, disclosing more intricate facts about his time as second-in-command.

Speaking on Monday at the unveiling of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K)’s new headquarters, Gachagua disclosed that one of his responsibilities was to defend Kenya Kwanza projects, particularly those that had received public criticism.

He recalls getting a call from the President’s advisor questioning his silence on the contentious Adani Deal.

“He was telling me to go and defend the Adani Deal. I was at a funeral with Wamalwa and Onyonka when he (Onyonka) called out the government for the deal. I just sat, listening but did not even nod because I was still in office. When I stood up, I did not respond,” he narrated.

“Later on, one of the President’s PAs (Personal Assistants), a standard six drop-out, called me furiously asking what type of a DP I was for not defending the Adani deal after Onyonka’s speech.,” added Gachagua.

“I told him ‘I cannot answer you. Tell your boss to call me.’ So the President called me and I told him I could not defend the deal because it was shrouded in corruption.”

Rigathi Gachagua: He was telling me to go defend Adani. That Adani thing is the worst form of corruption in this country. Ukiangalia hii maneno ya affordable housing, it is the worst fraud against the people of Kenya. These are things he was telling me to go on TV to defend, I… pic.twitter.com/UFEBBAwUTB
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) January 27, 2025

Gachagua stated that one of the reasons he was labeled inept was for allegedly failing to defend government projects he regarded corrupt.

According to Gachagua, the entire government was littered with questionable agreements that he couldn’t defend.

Among the projects he mentioned were the relocation of Kenyans from the Nairobi River and the Marikiti Market.

In his passionate address, Gachagua labeled Kenya’s State House as the most corrupt institution in the country, where crooked people congregate to make deals with the President.

During his tenure, he described having to wait up to five hours to speak with the President when engaging with such persons.

However, the most fraudulent scheme he singled out was the Affordable Housing Scheme, a President’s legacy project designed to benefit hundreds of thousands of Kenyans each year.

“It is the worst fraud against the people of Kenya, and it is good I tell the country. Those are the things he was telling me to go and defend. I told him I would not,” Gachagua relayed.

“Initially, we believed in the President’s dream that it would bring about employment and many other things until it came to my attention that it has nothing to do with housing but a business.”

He went on to claim that tenders for cement, roofing materials, and building bars were subcontracted to key government officials.

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To keep the money flowing, Gachagua said that new residences needed to be erected on a continuous basis.

“So this housing levy that is charged to Kenyans is to make sure these houses keep being built so that these people can sell the materials,” he stated.

“That is what the President is accusing me of not understanding and being incompetent.”

In the same vein, he requested that the future administration discontinue the project in order to restore the dignity of the payslip.

[DETAILS] How Gachagua Told Off Ruto Over Corruption-Shrouded Adani Deal