A new development has surfaced in the impeachment case against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, as a witness released conflicting statements regarding the ownership of the Olive Garden Hotel.
The hotel, listed in the motion as one of the contested properties, is among the assets Gachagua is accused of acquiring through corrupt means. However, Gachagua has denied these allegations, stating the hotel belonged to his late brother, Nderitu Gachagua.
In his witness statement, Peterson Muchira claimed that on March 31, 2023, Gachagua approached him and persuaded him to purchase the hotel under an “informal secret agreement.”
“The Deputy President persuaded me to enter into an informal secret arrangement regarding the transaction embodied in the agreement annexed on pages 10 to 34 of his response to the motion,” Muchira said in his affidavit.
According to Muchira, Gachagua offered to buy the hotel back for KES.412 million.
Adding, “In summary, the terms of the secret arrangement were that the Deputy President would buy the hotel from me by refunding the purchase price of Ksh412 million [and then] instruct and pay a contractor to renovate the hotel after the completion of the transaction.”
Muchira further alleged that Gachagua enlisted a proxy, Julianne Jahenda, to safeguard his interest in the hotel. Jahenda, according to him, acted as the facility’s signatory agent and took charge of managing it.
“I allowed Ms. Julianne Jahenda to run the hotel in line with my agreement with the Deputy President,” Muchira added.
The witness’s sworn affidavit was administered by Commissioner of Oaths, advocate Jacob Ngwele, on October 11, 2024.
“I swear this affidavit to give Parliament helpful information and clarification regarding the contradictions alluded to in paragraph 4 above. I’m amenable, should Parliament so direct, to appear and be cross-examined on the contents of this affidavit,” Muchira said.
On October 8, while defending himself before the National Assembly, Gachagua reiterated that he had no ownership rights to the Olive Garden Hotel, again insisting it belonged to his deceased brother.
“The claim that I own the Olive Garden Hotel is untrue. The hotel was my late brother’s and has never been my property,” Gachagua told MPs.
The Olive Garden Hotel is one of four properties under investigation, along with Vipingo Beach Resort, Queensgate Apartments, and Lang’ata Highrise Flats, all of which Gachagua claims were owned by his late brother.
