Gachagua made the allegation on Sunday, 4 October 2026, while addressing clergy in Boston, United States. He described Chivayo as a business partner of the president and a “crook from Zimbabwe.”
“They were doing business together, and he is a man he has been using for money laundering,” Gachagua said. “He gets money in dollars, that man comes with a plane, lands in a private airstrip, and takes the money to keep for him.”
Chivayo and his wife Lucy Muteke died in a helicopter crash in Marondera, Zimbabwe, on 30 September. Gachagua said the deaths left Ruto “berserk” because the money was now untraceable.
“And Kasongo has gone berserk. This man has his money. Over one point five trillion. The man is dead, his wife is dead, he doesn’t know where to begin. So the man is angry,” he told the gathering.
Gachagua rejected any suggestion that he or opposition figures were involved in the crash. “William Ruto, please don’t blame Riggy G. I didn’t kill this guy. I was in the United States. The accident happened in Zimbabwe. Surely, I have nothing to do with it.”
Ruto had earlier described Chivayo as a “dear friend” and mourned his death publicly. No independent evidence has been presented to support Gachagua’s claims about the funds or money-laundering arrangement.
Gachagua was impeached mid-term as deputy president. His legal challenges remain before the courts. Kenya’s appellate process is lengthy. A final determination on the legality of the impeachment could still come after the 2027 election. He continues to campaign on the message that Ruto should serve only one term, accusing the president of prioritising personal enrichment over public interest. The former deputy has drawn sustained public support in several parts of the country as he positions himself for a possible presidential run.
The remarks form the latest exchange in the prolonged public confrontation between the two men that began after Gachagua’s removal from office.