Rigathi Gachagua is the sitting MP for Mathira and the running mate for Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto. He is a man who has been bogged down by corruption allegations which he has vehemently denied. Sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have unearthed 49 registered companies and 33 bank accounts which the MPs used to win tenders worth over Ksh 12 billion from county governments.
WoK has compiled the companies and businesses associated with Rigathi and how much each made from the various tenders won.
The Complex Web
In what the detectives call ‘a well-knit complex scheme of money laundering’ the Mathira MP is said to have used proxies to register 49 companies and 33 bank accounts through which payments amounting up to Ksh 12 billion were made and often money withdrawn to be transferred to other firms that he controlled as reported by People Daily Newspaper.
The companies were registered by his family members, close friends, relatives or youths who acted as directors. The detectives explained that when they tried to interrogate the ‘directors’ of the companies, they appeared “naïve and completely had no idea of the type of businesses the companies they lead were doing.” What makes it even more interesting is that all the money made from the 49 companies would end up to Wamunyoro Investments Limited – a company owned by Rigathi Gachagua and his wife Pastor Dorcas Wanjiku.
The Companies
In Kwale County, his company Encartar Diagnostic Limited won a Ksh 12 million tender to supply an incinerator. The incinerator was supplied in 2013 and Gachagu’s company received Ksh 10 million only for the incinerator to collapse in 2019 as reported by Citizen Digital.
In Bungoma County, the same company was tasked to supply, deliver and install medical equipment to four hospitals for two years. The company was paid Ksh 123 million through Rafiki Microfinance which he owns and later transferred to his personal accounts. In Nyeri County, a company associated with the MP – Rapid Medical Supplies Limited was paid Ksh 27.4 million to supply and install 10 dialysis machines, a water treatment plant and dialysis kits.
The company delivered the dialysis machines in June 2014, one of the machines was faulty and the other equipment worked for several hours and stopped. In Kisii County, Encartar Diagnostic Limited won a Ksh 52 million tender to supply and install 16 multi-slice computed tomography (CT scanner). In the same county, Rapid Medical Supplies, which its bid was the second lowest, won a Ksh 42.5 million tender to supply five ambulances at a cost of Ksh 8.5 million each.
According to documents from the Serious Crimes Unit, 11 companies associated with Gachagua received Ksh 590,623,107 from the national and county governments without going through the mandatory Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) as reported by People’s Daily. The companies include a building company named Technical Supplies and Services which got Ksh 220,877,180.85 from the national government, Skytop Agencies which received Ksh 20, 674,333.60 from the national government and Ksh 2, 051,307.15 from county governments, Riang International Group Limited which got Ksh 7,033.595.75, Machine Centre Limited which received Ksh 67,315,622, Jenne Enterprises which made Ksh 79,208,297.40, Wamunyoro Investment Limited which made Ksh 22,068,149 and Asoma Enterprises which obtained Ksh 8,452,590.90.
Business Dealings
DCI has since established that the Mathira MP has been involved in business with state corporations and county governments including; Lake Victoria South Water Works Agencies (Ksh 136 million), National Irrigation Authority (Ksh 668 million), State Department of Irrigation (Ksh 136 million), Mathira Constituency CDF, Ministry of Lands and Housing (Ksh 339 million), Ministry of Devolution, National Land Commission, Kenya Informal Settlement Programme (Ksh 502 million), Tana Water Works Agency, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Environment (Ksh 105 million), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Ksh 32 million), Ministry of Finance, Council of Governors, Directorate of Personnel Management MLG Kenya Municipal Program (Ksh 195 million), Water Regulatory Authority (Ksh 171 million), Athi Water Services Board (Ksh 58 million), Ministry of Transport, State Department for Interior (Ksh 43 million), Ministry of Health (Ksh 32 million), Karatina University (Ksh 24 million), Ministry of Defense (Ksh 23 million), Tana Athi River Development (Ksh 12 million) and State Department for Special Programmes (Ksh 11 million) among many others as reported by People Daily Newspaper.
Other Entities.
Other entities owned by Rigathi include The Olive Garden Hotel which he co-owns together with his nephew Kenneth Gachagua, the late Nderitu Gachagua, his widow Margaret Nyokabi Nderitu and Susan Kirigo Nderitu. The group also own Hard Rock Quaries, Vipingo Beach Resort, Triple Eight Construction Kenya, Pioneer Medical (K) Limited and Quuensgate Serviced Apartments Spa and Resort. Gachagua and his wife own Hertland Supplies Limited, Karandi Farm Limited, Delta Merchants Limited, Biomet (K) Limited, Vetland Agencies Limited, Calvary Creed International, Ridor Furniture Mart and Ridor Properties Limited.
