Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleges that his late brother, former Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua, was poisoned by coffee cartels.


On Sunday, June 12, the DP indicated in an interview with Inooro TV that his brother was healthy up until he unexpectedly fell ill and passed away on February 24, 2017.


He claimed that the deceased governor's family suspected foul play because his health issues started occurring after he fought a campaign against the cartel.

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"Our family believes, and we know the late Nderitu Gachagua was poisoned by those people," stated Gachagua.


"And since then, a very healthy person started becoming sickly and we believe these people harmed him," the deputy president added.


The former governor of Nyeri passed away in 2017 while receiving pancreatic cancer treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.


At the time, Rigathi said that "He has left us after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. It is very sad for the family but we have accepted God's will."



After a two-day coffee summit in Meru, when Gachagua voiced his concerns about the impact of these cartels on the coffee sector, this information has come to light.


The DP has vowed to dismantle the cartels that it claims have penetrated the industry and are continuing to profit from advantages intended for farmers.


It was decided to reinstate the Coffee Board of Kenya as envisaged in the Coffee Bill 2023 at the meeting held in Meru that brought together leaders and other stakeholders from throughout the nation.


The recommendations include building coffee aggregation centers to raise coffee quality and empowering the Pest Control Board to control pesticides and battle coffee illnesses. These proposals will be reviewed by a select team before being put into action over the next 90 days. 



The Deputy President emphasized the perilous nature of the cartels by pointing out that the governors were deliberately excluded from the process. Instead, three cabinet secretaries—Mithika Linturi (Agriculture), Moses Kuria (Trade), and Simon Chelugui (Cooperatives)—were chosen to spearhead the initiative.


"This war cannot be won by governors, this can only be won by DP and the president, these people; are dangerous and can even kill you," he asserted.


"The President assigned me the task of leading these people because I have more resources including security since these are not good people."