DCI Threatens Action Against Gachagua in New Twist
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has warned that it may take action against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua following explosive remarks he made on Sunday, April 5, over the ongoing multibillion-shilling fuel scandal.
According to the agency, the comments made during an Easter service at AIPCA Gakoe Church in Gatundu North raised serious concerns, especially claims linking the DCI and President William Ruto to an alleged KSh500 million cover-up tied to the importation of substandard fuel valued at more than KSh4 billion.
In a strongly worded statement released later that day, the DCI said it had taken note of Gachagua’s remarks and dismissed them as false, baseless, and malicious.
The agency accused the former deputy president of spreading allegations that have no factual foundation, particularly his claims that money recovered from the homes of officials under investigation was handed over to the president.
Detectives said such statements appear designed to weaken public trust in one of the country’s key law-enforcement institutions at a time when the fuel scandal probe is still active.
During his church speech, Gachagua had claimed that the KSh4 billion fuel scandal was not a genuine corruption case, but rather a failed deal involving powerful interests.
He alleged that the former officials at the centre of the controversy — former Petroleum Principal Secretary Mohamed Liban, former Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Joe Sang, and former EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria — were being punished for allegedly attempting to bypass government-linked fuel business arrangements.
He went further to sensationally claim that KSh500 million believed to be proceeds of the fake fuel deal had been recovered from their homes and later surrendered to the Head of State.
The DCI, however, firmly rejected those claims, insisting that no such recoveries or exhibits connected to the investigation support Gachagua’s narrative.
Investigators maintained that every part of the ongoing probe is being handled professionally and based strictly on evidence gathered from the suspected irregular fuel importation deal.
In a fresh twist, the investigative agency also revealed that it has now widened its focus to review the full speech delivered by Gachagua, especially the section spoken in the Gikuyu language.
According to the DCI, detectives are assessing whether some of the remarks may amount to offences under the National Cohesion and Integration Act, particularly if they are found to be inflammatory or likely to incite divisions.
The agency stressed that it will not hesitate to take legal steps against any person, regardless of their political status or previous office, if the law is found to have been broken.
Earlier in the day, President Ruto had also addressed the widening scandal, promising firm and decisive action against everyone implicated in the controversial fuel importation scheme.
The president said his administration would not allow cartels and profiteers in the energy sector to continue undermining the economy, adding that those responsible would face the full force of the law.
The scandal itself revolves around allegations that senior energy officials manipulated national fuel stock data to create the impression of an artificial shortage.
This allegedly opened the door for emergency fuel imports outside the official government-to-government framework.
Reports indicate that the imported fuel was not only substandard but was also brought into the country at highly inflated prices, raising fresh questions about corruption and abuse of office in the petroleum sector.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has also responded to the matter, revealing that the ministry stopped the delivery of a second cargo shipment after concerns emerged over the first consignment that is now under investigation.
He assured Kenyans that the government is reviewing the petroleum management system to prevent a repeat of such a scandal and to protect the country’s fuel supply chain from manipulation by cartels and dishonest insiders.
This latest development adds even more political heat to an already explosive scandal, with the DCI’s warning signaling that the matter may now move beyond public accusations into a legal and investigative showdown involving some of the country’s top political figures.
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