Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has distanced himself from the controversial Adani deals that were recently suspended by President William Ruto.
Speaking during a live TV interview on Sunday evening, Gachagua stated that he was not involved in negotiating or approving the agreements with the Indian conglomerate during his tenure as Deputy President.
“Nobody involved me, and had the matter come to the cabinet committee that I chaired, I would have been aware of its details because those sessions were very thorough,” he said. “The Adani deals did not feature in any cabinet meetings or subcommittees that I chaired.”
President Ruto, during his State of the Nation address on November 21, directed the immediate cancellation of Adani Group’s proposed takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). He also nullified the signed agreement between Adani and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO).
Ruto cited new evidence from local investigative agencies and international partners linking the Indian conglomerate to corruption.
“Honourable Members, as I have stated before and reiterate now, when faced with credible evidence or information on corruption, I will not hesitate to act decisively,” Ruto declared.
He further instructed the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to immediately terminate the procurement processes for the JKIA expansion under the private-public partnership model and begin onboarding new partners for the projects.
Ruto’s announcement, emphasizing principles of transparency and accountability enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution, was met with applause from members of both the Senate and National Assembly.
The Adani Group has been embroiled in controversies, with its billionaire owner, Gautam Adani, recently facing fraud charges in the United States.
