Gakuyo: Prison life is hard and all my friends were fake

Bishop David Kariuki Ngare's troubles appear to be far from over after he failed to raise Sh10 million bail in a case where he is charged with defrauding clients of over Sh1.2 billion in a land and market fund that never existed.

When he appeared before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi on Friday, the court refused to review the bail conditions downwards, saying it was commensurate with the Sh1.2 billion he is accused of defrauding over 50,000 people who invested in his Gakuyo Real Estate and Ekeza Sacco companies. 

Prosecutor Alice Mathangani asked the court for one month to allow the DPP to provide the accused with witness statements.

"Your honour, the DPP has not served the accused with witness statements and exhibits. There are thousands of pieces of paper. We need a month to go through them and then provide them to the accused," Ms Mathangani reqeusted the court. 

Read: Tearful tales of Ekeza Sacco savers and Gakuyo investors

But how did Mr Gakuyo's world of money, fame and the trappings of power come crashing down? 

The Nation tracked Mr Gakuyo to Industrial Area Remand Prison on Friday, where he has been for over a week since he was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while waiting to board a flight to Zambia.

He looked exhausted, vulnerable and it was clear that this was a man whose evening star had fallen and who was at his lowest ebb, compounded by the fact that he lost the Thika Town constituency seat in the 2022 General Election when he contested against the incumbent, Ms Alice Ng'ang'a.

"Prison is not a good place, I am struggling for peace of mind, freedom and I am also struggling to fit in here. I am coming to terms with the fact that people will always call you if you have what you need. 

Read: Gakuyo siphoned Sh1.5bn from Ekeza Sacco, audit reveals how

"I have learnt a lot in the last week that I have been here, that I have no friends. Even when I was detained at Muthaiga police station, only former Kiambu County MP Jude Njomo came to see me,'' Mr Gakuyo said as we sat on a plastic chair in a tiny room for this interview, when I asked him what he was struggling with at the moment.

He was wearing a maroon T-shirt, grey trousers and open sandals, a reflective jacket with the words 'Remandee Cap' on it - a stark contrast for a man who had chase cars, bodyguards and was the darling of local radio and TV presenters and reporters who marketed his businesses with zeal and passion and for good money.

"It was a humbling experience, even two former governors whom I supported with my resources, among many others, never reached out or bothered to know where I was. I have come to realise that we are surrounded by false friends, but I am not a bitter man, because a bitter man can really struggle to move forward,'' he adds in a low voice, inevitably with deep thought. 

Read: Ekeza sacco members receive Sh750m in cash and land

I asked him if he was on the run when he was arrested at JKIA.

"I was not, the media has always written negative stories about my businesses, even after the Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and Micro and Small Enterprises, Simon Chelugui, recently said that they had recovered Sh2.5 billion after attaching the assets of Gakuyo Real Estate and were in the final stages of recovering the remaining Sh330 million. I flew to Zambia and I had a return ticket because with my reputation damaged here, I wanted to look at emerging opportunities in Zambia that I can take advantage of because at the end of the day, I cannot be judged and I cannot judge myself,'' Mr Gakuyo said.

Without going into details, Mr Gakuyo admits that there were things he should have done differently that could have prevented his downfall.

However, insiders claim that some people who were appointed by the government as the caretaker committee to ensure refunds to the respective investors made deals with some members for more cash refunds for a commission, to the extent that some opened land and housing companies as agents for Mr Gakuyo.

Mr Gakuyo declined to comment on the matter, saying he was currently focused on getting out of remand prison.

He admits that opportunism thrives even in prison. "I have met several people here who are in jail because they could not raise cash bail of Sh30,000 and Sh50,000 and they think I am in a position to help them,'' Mr Gakuyo said.

Mr Gakuyo is a man of means, is he playing games to prove that he is unable to pay either his cash bail or his bond, Nation asked him.

"Why should I suffer here? Look at it this way, I had distributed my wealth in assets and most of them were seized to compensate investors, accounts were frozen and what was not frozen. I had used it to secure bank loans,'' he said as we parted.

His case comes up for a further hearing on April 4, 2024.

Mr Gakuyo has denied all 12 counts of fraud brought against him in court.

Additional reporting by Richard Munguti