Gachagua: Minnesota fraud suspects are Ruto business associates

By Newsflash Reporter

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has alleged that individuals implicated in a major fraud and money laundering scheme in Minnesota, United States, are close business associates of the President William Ruto and are being shielded from extradition.

Speaking on Sunday, January 4, during a church service at AIPCA Kiratina in Komothai Ward, Githunguri Constituency, Kiambu County, Gachagua claimed that the proceeds of the alleged fraud were siphoned into Kenya and used to finance political activities and major commercial investments linked to President Ruto’s allies.

It is alleged that over Sh39 billion were looted and diverted to Kenya where it was used to buy multi-million properties.

Alleged looting and laundering of US funds

Gachagua alleged that the money at the centre of the Minnesota investigations was originally meant to support people living with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in the United States but was instead stolen and diverted to Kenya.

“There were monies for helping people with disabilities and others facing serious challenges. Those monies were looted and directed to Kenya,” Gachagua told the congregation.

According to him, the funds were used to buy land and houses and to construct a modern shopping mall in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area. He claimed that the owner of the mall is a business associate of President Ruto and a key beneficiary of the alleged money laundering scheme.

“It was used by the looters to buy land, houses and to put up a mall. There’s a mall in Eastleigh which was built using that money, and the owner is a business partner of the President,” Gachagua alleged.

He further claimed that United States authorities are already aware of the scheme and had begun pursuing those involved, adding that a portion of the money was allegedly channelled into financing President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) campaign.

Claims of campaign financing and economic sabotage

Gachagua alleged that part of the laundered funds was used to bankroll the UDA campaign, linking the alleged fraud directly to Kenya’s 2022 General Election.

“The US is now aware and has started looking for those people. A section of that money was given to President Ruto to finance the UDA campaign,” he claimed.

He also accused the same businessman linked to the Eastleigh mall of importing large quantities of duty-free rice and sugar, a move he said was deliberately impoverishing local farmers, particularly in Mwea.

According to Gachagua, about 500 tonnes of rice had been allocated to the mall owner, whom he accused of using illegally acquired wealth to dominate the import market and undermine local agricultural production.

“That person built that mall with looted and laundered money. He is the one being used to impoverish farmers in Kenya. He is the importer of all the duty-free rice and sugar,” Gachagua said.

Extradition row and appeal to Trump

Gachagua claimed that when US President Donald Trump signalled his intention to pursue the suspects in Kenya, President Ruto moved to use the judiciary to block their extradition.

“When Trump indicated he would come to take those people from Kenya, efforts began to use the courts to prevent extradition,” he alleged, predicting that court orders would be issued to block the extradition of the Eastleigh mall owner.

In a direct appeal to President Trump, Gachagua urged him to bypass Kenya’s extradition process altogether.

“Don’t bother with extradition. Send your people with a plane, take the person and open fraud charges against him in the US. Do what you did in Venezuela and Kenyans will be grateful,” he said, adding that the arrest should happen as early as this week.

Gachagua added that if President Ruto is found to be part of the alleged scheme, he too should be arrested.

Separately, the former Deputy President accused President Ruto of working with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo to sabotage his earlier crackdown on drugs and illicit brews. He dismissed calls to kill drug barons, arguing that the President should instead sack two Cabinet Secretaries he alleged were well-known drug traffickers.