A group of Members of Parliament from North Eastern Kenya have accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of ethnic profiling and incitement, calling on the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to investigate what they describe as a targeted attack on the Somali community.
The controversy centres on allegations made by Gachagua linking a mall in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area to massive fraud schemes in the United States, in which more than $300 million meant to feed vulnerable children during the Covid-19 pandemic was allegedly stolen. The scheme reportedly involved individuals in Minnesota, some with Kenyan connections.
However, the lawmakers have presented a timeline they say categorically disproves the claims. According to the North Eastern MPs, the land on which the BBS Mall stands was legally acquired in 2009, with construction beginning in 2018, years before the Minnesota fraud scandal emerged.
They argue that Gachagua’s allegations are not only false but also dangerous and divisive, accusing him of weaponising serious criminal accusations to unfairly target an entire ethnic community.
