Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, on Friday, March 17, revealed that he had not moved into the Official Residence of the Deputy President in Karen owing to the sorry state of the building.
In a joint interview with Mt Kenya vernacular radio stations, Gachagua explained that the residence was left in a dilapidated state to the extent that a section of its roof leaked.
President Ruto and his family were allegedly forced to take shelter in one corner during his tenure as the DP.
"The official residence of the Deputy President was in a bad shape when I became Deputy President. The rooftop was leaking, the borehole pump was broken down, and the house was totally in a bad shape," he explained.
According to Gachagua, the Office of the Deputy President lacked the funds and finances to facilitate maintenance and repairs.
He alleged that Ruto financed his office for four years in the last term as Deputy President and had to personally cater for electricity bills, fuel and accommodation for his staff whenever he was in transit.
Regarding the statement by former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, Gachagua absolved his name from the allegations that his office demanded Ksh1.5 billion days after the 2022 elections.
According to him, Yatani approved the withdrawal of the said amount owing to his embarrassment and guilt for having withheld funding for Ruto for four years.
"They said that all the money that had been withheld should be paid. The amount disbursed by the Treasury was a computation of the money that had not been paid," he affirmed.
“My office did not ask for any money, it just received allocation because it is a public office, the amount mentioned was deducted when President was still the Deputy President."
However, the DP indicated that the current administration was working to restore the dignity of the Official DP's residence in Karen.
He noted that he was contented with staying at his private residence, having fallen in love with his home.
"I love this home that is why I have not moved to the official residence designated for the DP by the government," Gachagua affirmed.
