Former DP Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto’s administration of overseeing what he described as a corrupt compensation scheme linked to the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway project.
Speaking in reference to the visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, Gachagua claimed that the public protests and heckling witnessed at the University of Nairobi’s Taifa Hall yesterday were not acts of disrespect, but rather a message from frustrated Kenyans over alleged misuse of public funds.
Nairobi-Mau Summit Road Dispute
According to Gachagua, the controversy dates back to September 2020 when the government of former President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded French firms a Ksh 159 billion contract to construct the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit road.
However, he alleged that the project was later cancelled under President Ruto’s administration before construction had begun, paving the way for Chinese contractor CRBC to take over the project.
Gachagua claimed the switch created room for inflated costs and corruption. He alleged that while the original French-backed project was valued at Ksh 159 billion for a larger scope, the revised CRBC deal rose to nearly Ksh 200 billion despite covering a smaller scope of work.
“The difference created a corruption fund of nearly Ksh 50 billion,” Gachagua claimed.
Claims Over KSh 7.3 Billion Compensation
The former Deputy President further alleged that approximately Ksh 7.3 billion from Kenya’s fuel levy fund was irregularly diverted to compensate the French firms following cancellation of the original contract.
He referenced reports allegedly flagged by the Auditor General in May 2026, claiming the compensation amounted to proceeds of crime at a time when many Kenyans were struggling with the high cost of living.
Gachagua argued that ordinary citizens were angered by the compensation payout while schools continued to face financial strain and families struggled to afford basic necessities.
He also linked the matter to wider concerns about governance and accountability in major infrastructure projects.
In his remarks directed at President Macron, Gachagua urged France not to ignore the concerns being raised by Kenyans over the disputed payments.
He further referenced a separate dispute involving Leopard Rock Hotel in Meru County, claiming local residents risked losing access to education funding because of legal and financial demands tied to the property.
