Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has threatened to sue a real estate company that alleged he had illegally moved a female friend into a luxury apartment an allegation he termed as not only false but a vicious smear campaign.
Gachagua, through a fiercely-worded demand letter by his lawyers, described the Ksh25 million property dispute as “malicious fiction,” saying he has never had any transaction with the company or the luxury house at the center of the controversy.
“This is utter fabrication,” stated the letter by his lawyers. “Our client has neither transacted with you, set foot on the property, nor had any knowledge of the alleged dealings.”
The dispute erupted after the company, through its own attorneys, accused Gachagua of trespassing on the property and sought the duo’s immediate eviction from the premises together with the unnamed woman who is said to be residing there.
They also threatened to auction property allegedly in the apartment and demanded compensation at current market prices.
But Gachagua’s attorneys retaliated, describing the company’s claims as “sensational, defamatory, and utterly baseless.” The attorneys argue that the allegations which were quickly circulated on social media and plastered as headlines in national news outlets have not only humiliated the former deputy president but also caused grave personal and political damage.
“These utterances were made recklessly, with no concern for the truth, and were clearly intended to injure our client’s reputation,” the demand letter stated. The lawyers claimed that the company had violated both the Defamation Act (which is Cap 36) and the constitutional protections against false and harmful speech under Article 33(3).
Gachagua’s team demanded a full withdrawal and a formal apology to be published in at least two nationally circulated newspapers of wide coverage within 24 hours. Failure, they warned, would be immediately followed by a defamation lawsuit.
This latest storm adds to a series of recent political challenges for Gachagua. Once a key figure in President Ruto’s government, he’s been dogged by non-stop rumors of behind-the-scenes politics with some even going as far as to say that he’s already secretly repairing bridges with the president despite belonging to the United Opposition.
Those whispers have only grown louder with the 2027 General Election looming.
Although Gachagua has remained silent so far in public about his next moves, this recent court battle may be both a personal struggle to clear his name and a shot across the bows of rivals that he will not let political character assassination go unanswered.
