Gachagua accuses Ruto’s team of demanding 50bn shillings for Kenyan railway
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Capital FM
Former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua says officials in William Ruto’s administration demanded a 50 billion Kenyan shilling commission from Chinese funders, who then reportedly declined to finance the Narok-Kisumu-Malaba railway. He accuses the presidential team of blocking the project, according to statements reported by Capital FM in November 2026.
Former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua accuses President William Ruto’s team of demanding a commission of 50 billion Kenyan shillings to facilitate Chinese financing for the railway project linking Narok, Kisumu and Malaba. He says Chinese funders refused to finance the construction after the demand, according to remarks reported by Capital FM on 1 November.
Gachagua maintains that the railway project, intended to link western Kenya to Narok, now has no valid contract and was blocked by political considerations linked to the 2027 general election. He also accuses ministers of attributing the project’s suspension to the conflict between Iran and the United States.
The former deputy president also questioned the cost of the highway between Rironi and Mau Summit, which he says rose from 150 billion to 200 billion shillings. He claims that 7 billion shillings was paid to a French company to leave the project, after which construction was handed to the Chinese groups China Road and Bridge Corporation and Shandong. He further accuses the government of illegally diverting 30 billion shillings from the National Social Security Fund, the pension fund for Kenyan workers, to the highway.
The accusations come as the UDA, Kenya’s ruling party, invited Kalonzo Musyoka to join William Ruto on 1 November. Gachagua is already at odds with the president over his economic management, which he criticised over fuel price increases on 14 October.
