- Deputy President William Ruto claimed the arrest was politically instigated
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Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua is expected to be arraigned today after spending the weekend in police custody following his arrest on Friday.
Gachagua was arrested at his Nyeri home and driven to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi where he was grilled for close to six hours before being locked up at the Gigiri police cells.
The MP was denied bond.
Sources said detectives read to him five counts of corruption that they plan to charge him with on Monday.
Gachagua's lawyer Wahome Gikonyo said the MP is being accused of attempting to defraud the Nyeri county government of Sh27 million and conspiring to defraud the county of Sh6 million.
He will face a third count of money-laundering where he is alleged to have laundered Sh112 million from the Bungoma county government.
The fourth charge is also about money laundering in connection with Sh7 billion said to have been deposited in his fixed account.
Gachagua is also accused of conflict of interest involving Sh800 million from the Mathira NG-CDF.
Police at Gigiri limited the number of those visiting the MP even as some of his colleagues protested the decision.
Deputy President William Ruto claimed the arrest was politically instigated.
Ruto said Gachagua was being punished because of his association with him.
“My bro Gachagua, I know you are strong because we knew these politically instigated trumped-up charges were coming,” Ruto said.
“This persecution on account of our friendship and political beliefs will come to an end. They have connections, networks, pedigree and godfathers but we have God our Father,” the DP tweeted on Friday hours after Gachagua’s arrest.
Gachagua has denied the claims and termed them political.
A section of his supporters held demonstrations soon after the dawn arrest and blocked the Nyeri-Nairobi road.
The MP had earlier posted on social media saying it had been two years of hell being arrested and released, writing countless statements, being prosecuted in the media, intimidation and harassment to him and family.
He said he was happy he has a chance to be vindicated in a court of law as courts are independent.
“To our tormentors and persecutors, you only have one year remaining. We shall have a new democratic government that does not use the criminal justice system to manage politics. In the fullness of time, my innocence will be pronounced. I am not cowed or intimidated,” he said.
He promised to remain principled and consistent and that his support for William Ruto remains steadfast and unshaken. “The darkest hour is just before dawn.”
Some of his bank accounts were frozen to allow police to investigate the source of the Sh12.5 billion that flowed through the accounts.
Gachagua is suspected to have used proxies to fraudulently secure tenders through 22 companies. Police claim he was the sole beneficiary.
Detectives had already visited five counties, government parastatals, and Mathira NG-CDF where Gachagua is suspected to have fraudulently won tenders using his companies.
Two hairdressers and a former mobile money transfer agent were awarded multimillion-shilling tenders for the national government and the Mathira CDF. Gachagua claimed the transactions were not fraudulent.
Investigators said the two companies were paid Sh150 million with a large portion of the money being transferred to entities owned by the MP.