A Kenyan Member of Parliament has publicly criticised former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for asserting unverified links between a high-profile fraud investigation in Minnesota, United States and political and business interests in Kenya, saying the claims are baseless and risk fuelling ethnic tensions.

Wajir East MP Aden Daud Mohamed described Gachagua’s remarks as “reckless, inflammatory and unsubstantiated,” asserting they lacked credible evidence and could harm social cohesion in Kenya’s diverse society. First reported by The Star, Mohamed’s statement came amid controversy over comments made by Gachagua about an ongoing fraud investigation in Minnesota involving alleged misuse of public funds.

Gachagua, who was impeached as Kenya’s deputy president in 2024 and now leads the Democracy for the Citizens Party while positioning himself as a political figure ahead of the 2027 general election, had claimed that funds fraudulently obtained in the Minnesota schemes were channelled into Kenya for commercial real estate and political financing.

Mohamed countered that such assertions, particularly those that appear to target specific communities, could amount to ethnic profiling and undermine national unity. He emphasised that alleged criminal conduct, whether in Kenya or abroad, should be addressed through established legal processes without casting broad suspicion on entire groups.

Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, who also chairs the Council of Governors, echoed the MP’s concerns, dismissing links between the Minnesota case and Kenyan investment or political funding as unsupported by evidence. Both leaders urged political actors to exercise restraint and focus on constructive dialogue.

The Minnesota fraud investigations themselves have drawn sustained federal attention in the United States. U.S. law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been probing large-scale alleged fraud schemes involving federal programmes in Minnesota, with dozens of indictments and convictions linked to the long-running Feeding Our Future case and other probes into misuse of public aid. Many defendants have been of Somali descent, and the matter has stirred political debate within the U.S. as authorities continue the investigations.

Mohamed’s rebuke illustrates the domestic political sensitivity around Gachagua’s remarks, with critics saying such narratives risk deepening ethnic divides and detracting from more pressing national issues. Observers note that Gachagua remains an influential political figure in Kenya, even after his impeachment, and his statements continue to provoke debate across the political spectrum.

Background on the Minnesota Fraud Investigations

The Minnesota fraud probes including the Feeding Our Future case, which involved hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged misuse of pandemic aid intended for child nutrition programmes have been ongoing for several years. Federal prosecutors have indicted numerous individuals, and convictions have been secured in a significant number of cases. The broader set of allegations has expanded to include other programmes and operations in the state, drawing attention from federal authorities.