Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fired back at Royal Importers & Exporters Limited over what he terms as false, malicious, and defamatory allegations linking him to a fraudulent property transaction.
In a demand letter dated October 2, 2025, Gachagua’s lawyers, Mabeya & Mabeya Advocates, accused the company of deliberately fabricating claims that the Deputy President had illegally taken possession of an apartment on LR No. 330/317, Unit 02, 1st Floor Block D, without paying the agreed purchase price of Kshs 25 million.
The lawyers insist that Gachagua has never engaged with the company, never set foot at the premises in question, and is a total stranger to the alleged transaction.
Lawyer Moses Mabeya faulted the company for making sensational and unfounded claims which, according to him, have since spread widely on social and mainstream media, inciting public outrage and severely damaging Gachagua’s personal, family, social, and political reputation.
He argued that the allegations were not only factually untrue but reckless and made with total disregard for the truth. “It is imperative to note that you made these statements knowing that they were not only factually wrong and unsubstantiated but also reckless with total disregard for the truth,” Mabeya stated in the letter.
The Deputy President’s legal team further accused the company of sensationalising and publicising the claims using bloggers and other platforms, causing undue reputational harm.
They argued that the conduct constitutes defamation under the Defamation Act (Cap 36) and Article 33(3) of the Constitution, which expressly curtails freedom of expression where it undermines the reputation and rights of others.
The lawyers demanded an immediate admission of liability from the company to pave way for negotiations on the quantum of damages.
They also demanded an unconditional retraction of the defamatory allegations in writing, together with a prominently published apology in at least two newspapers of nationwide circulation. The letter gave the company a strict 24-hour deadline to comply, warning that failure to do so would force them to file a defamation lawsuit without further reference.
The lawyer made it clear that they have strict instructions to pursue general, aggravated, and exemplary damages in addition to legal costs.
“This statement is meant to taint and tarnish our client’s reputation,” the lawyers wrote, insisting that the defamatory publications had already caused immense traction and condemnation.
They cautioned that unless evidence of compliance with the demands was provided within the stipulated time, they would proceed to court to safeguard Gachagua’s name and seek redress
