Senior Counsel Orengo before the senate today
Senior Counsel James Orengo defended the impeachment push against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and accused him of misappropriating funds from his late brother’s accounts.
“Gachagua raided his brother’s accounts,” Orengo claimed. “He used those proceeds to acquire prime properties, including Treetops and Outspan hotels in Nyeri County.
Gachagua maintains he is a beneficiary of inheritance. But Orengo, appearing for the National Assembly, did raise grave misgivings on how the late Nderitu Gachagua’s Will was executed.
He pointed out something alarming in that chronology. Gachagua began transferring cash from his brother’s accounts on the very day Nderitu breathed his last. “He went to London on February 16, 2017. The next day, he reportedly had his brother sign the Will,” Orengo said.
Orengo said that just a week after that on February 24, Nderitu Gachagua died. “By that time, Gachagua had already started accessing his brother’s accounts,” he claimed.
Orengo highlighted the suspicious nature of such transactions. “He went to the hospital where his brother was in ICU. The very next day, he persuaded him to execute a Will,” he said. “There’s no evidence he spoke with the doctors during that visit.”
He added, “He continued accessing his brother’s accounts up until he purchased Olive Gardens through a proxy. He also bought properties in Nyeri, including Outspan and Treetops.”
Orengo underscored the seriousness of the claims: “Evidence will show he misappropriated funds that rightfully belonged to his late brother’s estate. If this isn’t a legal offense, these transactions represent proceeds of crime.”
He argued, “We aver that such ownership is an end result of criminal activities.” Orengo’s charges resonated across the walls of the Senate chamber in a characterisation of the Deputy President. In response, Advocate Elisha Ongoya, representing Gachagua, termed the claims impudent. “This is no more than an attempt to stir mass outrage against the Deputy President,” he said emphatically. The case goes on with heightened tempers.
