A Kenyan court on Thursday ordered vice presidential candidate Rigathi Gachagua to refund about $1.7 million to the state.
 Rigathi Gachagua of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party, is the running mate of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto
The court determined that the funds were proceeds of corruption. Gachagua’s lawyers had argued that the funds were payment for the supply of goods and services to the government but High Court Judge Esther Maina ruled that there was no evidence to prove the claim.
Gachagua is deputy president William Ruto’s running mate. He said the judgment was intended to undermine his candidacy in the Aug. 9 election, before calling it a ‘sham trial’.
He vowed to appeal the ruling.
Gachagua’s accounts were frozen in 2020 following a request by the government.
The funds came from the Kenya Informal Settlements Programme, the State Department for Special Planning, the Ministry of Health, and several county governments.
Source: Africa news