Hotels, apartments, acres of land: Inside Ksh.5.2B wealth DP Gachagua allegedly amassed in 2 years

Kibwezi West lawmaker Mwengi Mutuse has laid down the grounds that he says constitute his impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua tabled on the floor of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

DP Gachagua is faced with allegations of abuse of office and gross violation of the Constitution.

Inside the bulky document the mover of the motion, Mutuse, says bears evidence to support the grounds upon which the impeachment motion is based.

These include accusations of accelerated wealth creation, alleging that in two years, DP Gachagua has acquired Ksh.5.2 billion worth of wealth, which the mover says is impossible for a public servant to amass in that time frame.

They include the purchase of Outspan Hotel at the Aberdares at a cost of Ksh.535 million, bought in September 2023, one year after he was sworn into office.

Other properties associated with the DP are Olive Gardens Hotel in Nairobi, Queens Gate Serviced Apartments in Nairobi, Vipingo Beach Resort in Kilifi, and Treetops Hotel in Nyeri.

The mover has also listed Gachagua's sudden purchase of 40 acres of land in Kamburaini, Nyeri, where he is said to have constructed a helicopter landing facility. Also on the list are 80 acres of land purchased in Meru, a dairy farm in Nyandarua, and land in Embakasi, Nairobi, bought through proxy companies.

He is also facing accusations of using proxy companies to take part in the Ksh.3.7 billion mosquito nets purchase, a tender that was marred by corruption.

Gachagua is accused of bullying KEMSA to award the tender to Crystal Ltd, a company alleged to have presented a fake bid bond with the sole intention of fraudulently acquiring public property.

The Deputy President similarly faces accusations of diverting a contractor working on the Kilifi-Malindi road to the tarmac a private road leading to Vipingo Beach Resort, a hotel he is said to have purchased.

The mover also claims taxpayers lost millions of shillings through expensive renovations at his official residences in Karen and Mombasa, running into millions of shillings.

A whooping Ksh.100 million is said to have been paid for a red carpet for the DP's functions and other expenses.

He is also facing allegations of gross violation of the Constitution by making inciteful remarks, violating national unity, and propagating ethnic profiling against his oath of office. According to the mover, he has also flouted Articles 147(1) and 152(1) of the Constitution.

Other grounds include attacks on High Court Judge Esther Maina and NIS Director Noordin Haji.