Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of using the presidency to build a massive personal business empire across key economic sectors, including construction, finance, and transport.
Speaking to Kenyans living and working in Portland, Oregon, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader described Ruto’s extensive commercial footprint as a full-blown case of state capture that stifles competition and drives ordinary citizens out of business.
Gachagua painted a grim picture of the country’s economy, linking widespread financial hardship directly to state-level corruption and conflicts of interest.
“There’s no money in circulation, and business is not thriving because the country has been taken over by what we call state capture. William Ruto is doing all the businesses in the country,” he said.
He alleged that the president’s business interests span almost every major market in Kenya.
“He is in banking, he is in insurance, he is in medical, he is in steel, he is in cement, he is in Tiles, MDF boards, high schools, nursery schools, ICT… in fact, of late he has gone into matatu, police uniform… he literally has driven all Kenyans out of business, he’s doing everything,” he noted.
Gachagua Vows to Dismantle Ruto’s Alleged Business Empire
The former deputy president pledged that a united opposition front would immediately dismantle these conflicts of interest if elected to power. Outlining his platform, Gachagua placed anti-corruption initiatives, comprehensive police reform, and the abolition of the controversial affordable housing levy at the center of his campaign agenda.
He pointed to his own political survival as proof of his integrity in public office.
“If we deal with corruption, we shall do away with 40 per cent of Kenya’s problems, and I believe I’m the guy to deal with corruption because if I were corrupt, William Ruto would have jailed me… So you see, William Ruto, we have plans,” Gachagua noted.
While positioning himself as the strongest contender to take on the head of state in the upcoming election, Gachagua insisted that unity within the opposition ranks remains the top priority.
“I am the leading contender, but I will support whoever we settle on unconditionally. Let the rest commit to the same,” he stated.
Addressing the timing of the opposition’s nomination process, he urged coalition leaders to hold back on naming their presidential candidate too early to avoid state interference. Drawing on history, he reminded supporters of past political victories won through strategic timing.
“Tukitoa mtu saa hii, atatuhangaisha, and I told Babu, Mwai Kibai was agreed on as the presidential candidate 73 days before the election,” said Gachagua.
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