Category: Politics

Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that he secretly traveled from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to his Wamunyoro home in Nyeri County aboard a Toyota Probox to evade potential security threats following his return from the United States.

Speaking during a television interview on Sunday, November 1, 2026, Gachagua explained that he deliberately kept his travel details confidential to prevent both crowds and potential assailants from tracking his movements.

“The last time I went to the USA, I announced my return dates and my fans were all over the airport waiting for me. And there were plans for me to be assassinated there, and goons had also been organized to end my life there,” Gachagua stated, crediting divine intervention and the quick action of local youth for protecting him during his previous arrival.

To ensure complete secrecy during his latest return, Gachagua withheld his travel itinerary even from his close staff and security detail.

“I never told anyone I was coming, even my drivers or even the bodyguard I usually have, because people talk a lot,” he said. He added that he refrained from taking photos at the airport to prevent any real-time tracking of his location.

Explaining his decision to swap his standard high-profile convoy for a basic utility vehicle, Gachagua noted that high-end vehicles would have immediately alerted those monitoring his travel.

“From the airport, I boarded a Probox because I knew even my big cars would be trailed,” he explained.

Gachagua had departed for the United States on August 26, 2026, before making his unannounced return to Kenya on Tuesday, October 20, later resurfacing for political engagements at his home in Nyeri.

The Milimani High Court has handed former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu a 13-year prison sentence or an alternative fine of KSh21 million following his conviction on multiple money-laundering counts tied to the KSh588 million Kiambu County graft case.

Delivering the judgment on Monday, November 2, 2026, Justice Harrison Barasa sentenced Waititu to five years on Count 10 (or a KSh10 million fine), four years on Count 11, and four years on Count 12, bringing the cumulative sentence to 13 years.

However, the former governor will not serve additional time behind bars. Justice Barasa directed that the new terms run concurrently with Waititu’s existing 12-year sentence, which was handed down in February 2025 in a separate corruption case, as well as directions issued by the High Court in an October 14, 2026 ruling.

“Having considered the mitigation tendered by the accused persons, the prosecution’s submissions, the nature and the gravity of the offenses, and the applicable statutory provisions, I hereby sentence the accused persons as follows,” Justice Barasa ruled.

In paragraph 317 of the primary judgment, Justice Rose Ougo had previously established that any sentences arising from the money-laundering charges would run concurrently with those previously imposed under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.

Waititu’s wife, Susan Wangari, was also sentenced in connection with the three money-laundering counts. The court ordered her to pay a total of KSh22 million in fines across the three counts—including a KSh12 million fine on Count 10, a KSh2 million fine (or two years in prison) on Count 11, and an KSh8 million fine on Count 12.