Trade CS Lee Kinyanjui has slammed former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua for calling on US President Donald Trump to probe Kenyan leaders’ ties to Minnesota’s fraud case.
Taking to social media on Monday, January 5, 2026, Kinyanjui accused Gachagua of “wanton recklessness and poor judgment”, warning that dragging foreign governments into Kenya’s internal political disputes could have far‑reaching and potentially disastrous consequences for the country.
“The DCP leader has been quoted as requesting the intervention of the USA to investigate Kenya’s leadership over allegations of sponsorship through funds linked to the Minnesota fraud case. Never mind, it’s the very party where he once served as running mate,” Kinyanjui stated.
“While the province of investigations does not belong to me, the sheer lack of wisdom in failing to distinguish between political differences and matters of grave international significance is alarming.”
The former Nakuru governor further questioned the motivation behind Gachagua’s reported appeal to the US, noting the irony that the allegations touch on a political formation he was once closely associated with as deputy president.
He argued that seeking external intervention was less about accountability and more about settling personal political scores.
“How can a leader seek to throw his own country into the deep end merely to score personal revenge? This brand of politics is regressive and dangerous. It reflects raw greed and naivety in handling matters that could have potentially catastrophic consequences,” he warned.
On Sunday, January 4, 2026, Gachagua dragged the US into Kenya’s domestic political debate, urging Trump to conduct in Kenya a similar forceful operation to the one carried out in Venezuela early Saturday morning, which resulted in the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking during a church service at AIPCA Kiratina in Kiambu County, Gachagua claimed that the same individuals linked to the Minnesota scandal were still benefiting from government contracts, to the detriment of rice farmers in Mwea.
“We are asking you, Trump, don’t bother with the extradition process in Kenya, do it the way you did in Venezuela,” he said.