Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his wife, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, are set to host a lavish farewell dinner in the United States before returning to Kenya.
The dinner, scheduled for Sunday, August 17, 2025, at 4:30pm (11:30pm Nairobi time) at the Holiday Inn, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, will cost attendees $100 (approximately Ksh13,000) each, with a strict formal dress code. Guests must confirm their attendance by August 15 through designated organisers — Bishop Waiyaki, Francis Ngigi, or Bishop Wachira.
While officially billed as a celebration of Gachagua’s “accomplishments during his U.S. visit,” controversy has erupted among the over 100 Kenyan politicians and aspirants who have been accompanying him on his month-long tour.
Multiple sources claim that Gachagua has demanded each of them contribute Ksh1 million towards funding the dinner. This has sparked discontent, with some accusing him of becoming “money hungry” after his trip failed to raise the funds he had anticipated.
“Apart from paying Ksh13,000 per plate, now we are being asked to part with Ksh1 million each. We believe he wants to make Ksh100 million from us before leaving,” one aspirant said on condition of anonymity.
Gachagua, who left Kenya for the U.S. on July 9, announced this week that he would cut short his trip, citing the need to return home and prepare his Democracy for Citizen Party (DCP) for upcoming by-elections. He apologised to organisers in the states he will no longer visit, promising to reschedule those engagements to early 2026.
Despite describing his U.S. visit as “successful and fulfilling,” the backlash over the dinner costs has cast a shadow over his final days abroad.
