A Nairobi-based shopping mall in Eastleigh has lodged a formal complaint with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) over remarks by Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua, alleging that the development was financed using proceeds from the U.S.-linked Minnesota fraud case.
Through its lawyers, the mall’s owners say the statements were made on January 4 during a church service at AIPCA Kiratina Church in Githunguri, Kiambu County. Gachagua reportedly claimed that funds stolen in Minnesota, USA, were channelled to Kenya and used to construct the Eastleigh mall. The proprietors have dismissed the claims as false, defamatory and harmful to their business reputation.
In their complaint, the lawyers argue that the remarks went beyond allegations of financial impropriety and repeatedly invoked ethnicity, indirectly attributing collective guilt to members of the Somali community. They contend that this amounts to ethnic vilification and have asked the NCIC to investigate whether the comments constitute hate speech or ethnic contempt under the law.
The mall owners want the commission to issue a formal censure against Gachagua and, if warranted, recommend his prosecution. They have also urged the NCIC to caution media houses against amplifying the claims, warning that uncritical coverage could inflame ethnic tensions and negatively affect legitimate enterprises operating in Eastleigh.
Gachagua has maintained that the funds in question were meant to support persons living with disabilities but were instead diverted into Kenyan real estate and political activities. He further called on the United States to fast-track extraditions related to the alleged fraud.
However, Eldas MP Aden Keynan has strongly disputed the allegations, stating that the mall sits on land legally acquired in 2009 and was redeveloped between 2018 and 2022. He described attempts to link the project to the Minnesota case as factually inaccurate and chronologically impossible, noting that the owner has run businesses in Eastleigh for over 25 years.