The rise of Kenya’s next Deputy President Rigathi has been one of hard work, patience, and perseverance.
Gachagua who thought his career as a public service officer has been castigated as an unrefined politician is now a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Born in 1965 in Hiriga village of Mathira Constituency, Nyeri county, Gachagua is the eighth-born child of Nashashon Gachagua Reriani and Martha Kirigo.
He is the younger brother of the late Nderitu Gachagua, the first governor of Nyeri county with his parents being Mau Mau freedom fighters.
Gachagua who is married to pastor Dorcas Wanjiku is a father of two grown-up sons.
His nomination as the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) running mate to William Ruto was received with so much conflict but the 57-year-old recollected himself to achieve what is arguably his success story.
Ruto took a gamble on Gachagua’s grassroots mobilisation skills against a clouded profile of a man facing graft charges in Kenya’s anti-corruption court.
Despite all the negatives stuck to his preference, Ruto announced Gachagua as the best bet for the race.
“He understands people’s issues, he is passionate about ordinary people,” Ruto said. “He is a living example of a true hustler who rose from the aftermath of our freedom struggle to the pinnacle of professional, business and political success,” Ruto said.
In his early days Gachagua was appointed as the provincial administrator for 10 years during the tenure of former President Daniel Moi.
At the time, it was commonplace for the state to execute extrajudicial killings against suspected criminals. No charge has however been preferred and confirmed in the courts against Gachagua.
Fast-forward, owing to the negative energy that his naming as running mate elicited, Kenyans appeared unanimous that he would do badly in the public debate with his Azimio One Kenya Coalition Party rival Martha Karua. But he emerged from the debate shining.
It is from the debate that Kenyans came to realise that Gachagua had in 1985 joined the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Literature in 1988.
In his CV, Gachagua enumerates his various postings while working with the government and now in parliament. He also states that he is a director at Ridor Group of Companies, which has been described as “a holding company with interests in real estate, furniture, and general merchandising”.
Gachagua has worked at the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Heritage before joining the Administration Police Institute in 1990.
After graduating, he was posted to the Office of the President where he was designated as a district officer cadet between 1991 and 1992.
He served as a district officer in Kakamega, Ng’arua and Laikipia. Between 1999 and 2000, he joined Kenya School of Government where he graduated with a diploma in advanced public administration.
Between 2001 and 2006, Gachagua worked as personal assistant to outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta.
From 2007 to 2017, Gachagua was running various businesses before he contested the Mathira seat in 2017 and won.
On matters wealth Gachagua’s wealth has baffled state agencies that have been investigating him over suspected money laundering.
In October 2020, the country’s Asset Recovery Agency, which is tasked with securing assets acquired from suspected proceeds of crime, secured a court order to freeze more than Sh200million ($1.7m) held in four of Gachagua’s bank accounts.
Back in July 2021, Gachagua was arrested and charged with obtaining over Sh7.3billion ($62m) by fraud, money that was allegedly deposited in three of his accounts at a local bank between 2013 and 2020.
The graft charges and perception of high-handedness when he served as a district officer in parts of Mt Kenya region cloud the profile of a man, who at his age, would appear to have rapidly advanced politically, having only served as MP for a term.
Gachugua was under investigation for allegedly conspiring with Nyeri county and the State Department of Irrigation officials through his businesses and close friends to obtain money thought to be the proceeds of crime.
Senior resident magistrate Muthoni Nzibe granted ARA’s request and ordered all accounts to be frozen for a number of days, preventing Gachagua from doing any transactions.
Gachagua’s three personal accounts at Rafiki Microfinance Bank were suspended in May 2020 due to accusations of money laundering.
However, with Gachagua taking over the reins of power from Ruto, the man from Mathira could be on his way up to assuming the highest office in the land.