- President William Ruto criticized Raphael Tuju’s associates, accusing them of tricking him into pretending he had been kidnapped in order to gain sympathy
- He said that Tuju needs real advice and help instead of people who use his tragedy to gain political benefits
- Ruto also criticized the opposition leaders for involving the name of former president Uhuru Kenyatta in the scandal, claiming that they are using the incident to gain political advantage
President William Ruto has spoken about the condition of the former member of parliament for Rarieda, Raphael Tujuwho is currently hospitalized after being arrested in a controversial situation
Source: Twitter
Tuju, who was reported missing since Saturday, March 21, reappeared two days later, March 23, explaining that he went into hiding after realizing he was being followed.
His emergence seemed to contradict the belief that he had been kidnapped.
Did Raphael Tuju lie about his kidnapping?
The Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) later criticized him for orchestrating his arrest, possibly to gain sympathy from the case against him from the East African Development Bank (EADB), which is pursuing his main property in the Karen area of Nairobi to repay the loan.
In the mix there were opposition leaders led by the leader of Wiper, Kalonzo Musyokawho claimed that the government was persecuting Tuju.
However, responding to Tuju’s plight, the president pointed out that the people around him were doing him harm instead of good.
Speaking in Siaya on Tuesday, March 24, Ruto said that those who appear to be standing with Tuju were using the situation to gain political advantage instead of helping him.
“They have gone to mislead Tuju. They told him to hide in his room and then he claims he has been kidnapped. Tuju needs honest friends and advice to help him. He does not need people who seek to benefit from someone else’s tragedy. They seek fame through someone else’s problems. Tuju should be advised and helped to save his property and move forward,” said Ruto.
He also criticized the opposition leaders for including the name of the former president Uhuru Kenyatta in that saga.
Kalonzo previously claimed that Uhuru gave him a phone call when Tuju was still nowhere to be found.
According to Ruto, Kalonzo and his colleagues were using the incident to score political points.
“Tuju does not need those fraudsters; they have even gone so far as to drag Uhuru Kenyatta’s name in the mud. They are not helping Tuju,” said the president.
Tuju was admitted to the Karen Hospital on Tuesday after spending one night at the Karen Police Station, where he reportedly developed health problems.
He was scheduled to appear in the Kibera Magistrate’s Court later on Tuesday but the process was stopped due to his health condition.
Through his lawyers, Tuju asked for anticipatory bail from the High Court to prevent his arrest and also to request the removal of the police officers who were guarding him at his bedside in the hospital.
Source: Facebook
He was expected to be charged with giving false information to a police officer. This is after a missing person’s report was filed on his behalf while he was hiding in his home, according to DCI details.
As previously mentioned, Tuju’s problems stem from a large loan he took from EADB in 2015, which led to legal disputes for several years.
By 2019, courts in London and later in Kenya ordered him to pay the debt, paving the way for creditors to target his valuable assets in Karen, including Entim Sidai, Tamarind Karen, and Dari Business Park.
On March 9, Judge Josephine Mongare finally allowed the seizure of the property, dismissing Tuju’s new challenge as a delaying tactic and an abuse of court process.
Judge Mongare’s decision opened the door to the drama that Tuju has found himself in, including showing up at the property on March 13 to prevent the raid by police officers.
Who bought Raphael Tuju’s property?
A businessman came forward claiming the rightful ownership of the controversial Dari Business Park.
Jackson Chebet claimed that his company, Ultra Eureka Limited, legally bought the property in a public auction in October 2024 for 450 million shillings, thus making him the rightful owner.
In his oath, he disputed Tuju’s claim insisting that the purchase followed all the procedures, and that he is now in charge of the buildings, which have been secured in KCB bank.
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