Kenya Kwanza Presidential running mate Rigathi Gachagua says he is innocent until proven guilty

Kenya Kwanza presidential running mate Rigathi Gacahgua has said the corruption cases he is facing are politically motivated and that they cannot bar him from running for office.

The Mathira member of parliament noted that the legal process had not reached a climax and that he was innocent until proven guilty. Gachagua made comparisons to iconic leaders such the late South African president Nelson Mandela whom he said beat all the odds to rise up to presidency and that he too was going to overcome the barricades on his path to the top.

“The Kenyan constitution is very clear, that you can only be barred from political office when you have been convicted and you have exhausted the mechanisms offered by law for appeal, Nelson Mandela was jailed for 27 years for conspiring to overthrow the State, he came from prison to be the greatest president South Africa has ever had,” Gachagua spoke in an interview with Citizen TV.

Gachagua is facing court charges of being charged with acquiring more than Sh7.3 billion suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Also read: 5 new powers Ruto will give Gachagua as deputy president in his gov't

Kenya Kwanza leaders at Karen Kenya Kwanza leaders at Karen Pulse Live Kenya

Gachagua also dismissed claims he has been the silent running mate all along noting that the running mate selection has been a process that has taken months and has also been based on different factors.

He said there was no election for who would ultimately be the Kenya Kwanza co-presidential flag bearer and that the decision solely lied with the deputy president.

“The picking of a running mate has been a continuous process for the last 6 months. The ultimate decision was his but he also needed to hear leaders from the region so that he could make an informed decision,” Gachagua stated.

Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua with Deputy President William Ruto Pulse Live Kenya

After his unveiling, The deputy president handed Gachagua his first task which is drawing up a road map of how the coalition will pick charters from all the counties that will present their top agendas so that the coalition can kick start its work upon election.

"You will provide for us a context on how we will have the charters from all the counties. Kenya Kwanza intends to sign a charter with all the counties on their priority agenda so that we hit the road on day one," he stated.