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https://nation.africa/kenya/news/politics/rigathi-gachagua-the-making-of-mr-moneybags-3891994
Na dogomothi zinaimba mwizi wetu.
During his recent dealings, Mr Gachagua had targeted the health and agriculture sectors, which receives the bulk of funding from the national government. This is the playground where he has made billions of shillings and formed business networks which baffled detectives who looked at the cash trail that led to the blocking of his accounts.
Mr Gachagua runs his empire with his born-again pastor wife, Dorcas Wanjiku. Both are joint shareholders of 15 companies that have been the target of detectives and the Assets Recovery Agency. These are Wamunyoro Investments, Delta Merchants Limited, Heartland Supplies Limited, Calvary Creed International Limited, Ridor Properties Limited and Ridor Furniture Mart Limited. Others are Specific Supplies (K) Limited, Biovet (K) Ltd, Pioneer Medical (K) Limited, Technical Supplies and Services (K) Limited, Vetland Agencies Limited and Crystal Kenya Limited. They also own Elisons Hair and Beauty, whose two employees transact millions.
The total amount that has been frozen from his accounts is Sh202 million though the total amount paid to firms linked to Mr Gachagua amounts to Sh2.1 billion.
Where he doesn’t run the businesses directly, the documents indicate that his personal secretary, Julianne Jahenda Makaa, acts as a proxy. On paper, Ms Makaa is an employee of Crystal (K) Limited which is owned Mr Gachagua and his wife, Dorcas. But Ms Makaa is also a signatory to the account of Rapid Medical Supplies Limited, which is owned by David Nyangi Nguru and his wife Jedida Wangui. She is also a signatory to the bank account of Encartar Diagnostics Limited whose listed shareholders are Jimcarter Njagi and Godfrey Kirere.
To show that Mr Gachagua is connected to the hundreds of millions that passed through Encartar Diagnostics Limited’s accounts, the court records point to personal guarantees by Mr Gachagua and transfers from the accounts of Encartar Diagnostics Limited and Rapid Medical Supplies Limited to Mr Gachagua’s accounts.
In one instance, Encartar Diagnostics Limited received business worth Sh400 million from the counties of Nyeri, Bungoma, Kwale, Kisii, and Tharaka-Nithi. Some bank documents show that this company transferred Sh113 million to Mr Gachagua’s Savings Account at Rafiki DTM.
Rapid Medical Supplies, the company which has Mr Gachagua’s PA as a signatory — though not a director — had in one instance transferred Sh58.2 million to Mr Gachagua’s Rafiki DTM account. There are other “unspecified transfers” of Sh120 million to the same account, an indicator that there could be other unexplained sources of money.
Another proxy identified by investigators is Ms Anne Mukenyi who runs Jenne Enterprises and which has also had banking dealings with Mr Gachagua. Before she started Jenne Enterprises, Ms Mukenyo was an employee of Mr Gachagua’s hair salon, Ellisons Hair and Beauty, where she worked as a beautician before she was introduced into the world of tenders. During the period that detectives targeted for investigation, Ms Mukenyi had received a total of Sh140 million from various national government ministries. Again, the common link was Mr Gachagua’s PA, Julianne Jahenda Makaa, who is a signatory to this account.
Another beautician used as a proxy was Ms Julia Muthoni, a beautician at Ellisons Hair and Beauty who registered two companies: Klishine Limited and Asoma Enterprises.
Records indicate that there were cash flows to Mr Gachagua’s Wamunyoro Investments from Asoma Enterprises. Some of this money came from CDF Mathira, Nyeri County, Kenya Rural Roads Authority-Nyeri and National Irrigation Board.
Before she joined Nr Gachagua’s network of tenders, Ms Julianne Jahenda Makaa was employed as an M-Pesa attendant in Buruburu. But her fortunes changed after she was employed as Mr Gachagua’s personal assistant. Here, she also registered her own Skytop Agencies where she is the sole director. Operating from Mr Gachagua’s Liason House office — together with the other former beautician Julia Muthoni —Ms Makaa’s company is shown to have paid millions of shillings to Wamunyoro Investment. She is also a signatory of Jeen Enterprises, Rapid Medical Supplies and Encarter Diagnostic Limited, which had transactions of Sh254 million.
The amount of cash withdrawals by Ms Makaa and Mr Gachagua from three accounts held at Absa, Equity and Rafiki DTM is Sh10 million, Sh86 million and Sh33 million respectfully.
Ms Makaa’s Skytop Agencies has been prolific in winning tenders from government ministries which includes Lands (Sh82 million), National Irrigation (Sh51 million) and has been the conduit of “loans” (Sh234 million).
For more than a decade, Mr Gachagua has been in the business world and with his network of companies, he seems to have managed to penetrate various county and national government institutions for business.
He has said that if their party wins, he will have the cases concluded to his favour and will manage to build a house in Kieni, where he has another farm.