Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has threatened legal action after being accused of failing to pay Ksh 25 million for a luxury apartment in Nairobi. Through his lawyers, Gachagua dismissed the allegations as false, defamatory, and politically motivated.
In a strongly worded demand letter, Gachagua insisted that he has never engaged with the company making the claims, nor has he set foot on the premises in question. He described himself as a “total stranger” to the alleged transaction.
The letter demanded an unconditional retraction of the defamatory statements and a prominently published apology in at least two national newspapers. The company was given a strict 24-hour deadline to comply, failure of which Gachagua’s legal team vowed to proceed with a defamation lawsuit.
The dispute arose after the firm, through its lawyers, accused Gachagua and a female associate of unlawfully occupying the apartment. The company demanded immediate eviction, settlement of accrued payments based on market rates, and threatened to auction items placed in the unit if their demands were ignored.
Gachagua’s lawyers, however, faulted the firm for making “sensational and unfounded” allegations that have since spread widely on social and mainstream media. They argued that the claims incited public outrage and caused severe damage to Gachagua’s personal, family, and political reputation.
“It is imperative to note that you made these statements knowing they were not only factually wrong and unsubstantiated but also reckless,” the letter stated. The lawyers cited the Defamation Act (Cap 36) and Article 33(3) of the Constitution, which protects individuals from defamatory speech.
This dispute comes as Gachagua faces mounting political controversies, including claims of secretly working with President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election. With tensions rising within the opposition, the apartment case adds to the political storm surrounding the former DP.
