Wealth declaration: Rigathi Gachagua worth Ksh.800 million, Martha Karua's fortune at Ksh.150 million

Deputy President William Ruto's presidential running mate, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua, and Raila Odinga's running mate Martha Karua have a personal fortune of Ksh.800 million and Ksh.150 million respectively.

The pair made the disclosures during the deputy presidential debate held at the Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA) on Tuesday.

Speaking during the event, Gachagua dismissed assertions made by Karua that he had obtained his wealth fraudulently. Karua had earlier made the allegations on grounds that three of Gachagua's personal accounts were frozen in May 2020 on suspicion of money laundering at Rafiki Microfinance Bank.

Gachagua however rebuffed Karua's claims going on to explain the source of his wealth which he says he made during his endeavours as an astute businessman, years before becoming a heavy hitter in the realm of Mt. Kenya politics.

"My account did not receive Ksh.5 billion; that is propaganda. The money that I have is well documented. This is money I made during the reign of Mwai Kibaki when the economy was thriving. I made over Ksh.200 million and invested in an account and that account has been running for the last 8 years," he said.

Gachagua likewise explained how he came to obtain the Ksh.200 million currently held in his frozen accounts insisting that he amassed it during different periods of his career.

"I have 200 million (in the frozen account) that is the money that is held. Ksh.64 million I worked in the Ministry of Lands and settlement, Ksh.10 million in Kenya Power, Ksh.33 million I got during my time in the Ministry of Livestock, another Ksh.46 million I worked in an organisation called Batek... I am worth Ksh.800 million minus the Ksh.200 million they are holding," he said.

On her part, Karua noted that she was worth Ksh.150 million which is Ksh.94 million more than the wealth she declared in 2013 during the period that led up to the General Election then.

"I think just around Ksh.150 million and this is because the Ksh.56 million I had declared in 2013 has appreciated because of inflation. I haven't had any new properties. I am not thirsty for land. I am not thirsty for worldly goods. If you are looking for Martha Karua to be a billionaire then no, I am not hungry for billions," she said.

She went on to state that asset declarations of public officials are a powerful tool that can be used to prevent corruption and detect illicit enrichment among corrupt government officials.

"I believe as leaders we have to be accountable and that is why there is declaration of wealth so that once you enter office people can know how much you are worth and as you exit, they can monitor and see how you are progressing, whether it is your salary or business it has to be ascertained," he said.