Ichung’wah accuses Gachagua of attempting to extort Ksh.300M from Chinese firm

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of attempting to extort Ksh.300 million from the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) while serving as the country’s second-in-command.

Ichung’wah, addressing the press while flanked by broad-based lawmakers at Parliament grounds on Tuesday, also accused Gachagua of demanding Ksh.10 billion to “fix Mount Kenya politics” during his tenure in government.

On CRBC, Ichung’wah claimed Gachagua sought Ksh.300 million from the Chinese state-owned construction firm over alleged transgressions committed during the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Rigathi’s bitterness with China Road and Bridge Corporation exposes his insatiable greed. While calling others corrupt, Ragathi is the high priest of corruption. He attempted to extort Ksh.300 million from CRBC when he was Deputy President for their alleged transgressions during Uhuru Kenyatta regime,” he said.

The MP said CRBC declined to meet the alleged demand, arguing that its contracts are governed by Kenyan law and subjected to scrutiny by relevant institutions.

“CRBC being a state-owned enterprise, owned by the government of China, declined his demands,” Ichung’wah stated, adding that CRBC contracts are “subjected to the laws of Kenya” and scrutinised by institutions including the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

He accused Gachagua of making “wild and frivolous allegations without proof” and of attempting to undermine government institutions and security agencies for political gain.

“He has made numerous, wild and frivolous allegations without proof. He is determined to dilute objective national security agencies by aiming his petty political arsenals to diligent security officers,” said the Kikuyu MP.

“We continue to remind Kenyans why he was impeached; violating the constitution, undermining institutions, and the rule of law." 

The MP further accused the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) of seeking to portray himself as an anti-corruption crusader despite the alleged CRBC demand.

He also rejected Gachagua’s criticism of the government’s handling of the economy, arguing that he was not involved in economic recovery meetings while serving as Deputy President.

Ichung’wah claimed Gachagua had previously admitted to lacking an understanding of economics and accused him of being unqualified to lecture the government on public debt.

The statement was part of a broader political response to Gachagua’s assessment of President Ruto’s four years in office, with broad-based MPs accusing him of seeking to undermine the Kenya Kwanza administration and regain political relevance.