‘Your Appetite for Land’: Gachagua Attacks Ruto Over Muthaiga Row

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of attempting to take over Muthaiga Golf Club following an escalation in a land ownership dispute between the facility and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).

Gachagua stated that club members contacted him expressing concerns over government plans to seize part of the course through KFS.

“Members of Muthaiga Golf Club have woken me up at night, informing me that William Ruto, using the Kenya Forest Service, is planning to grab Muthaiga Golf Course after grabbing several parcels of land in the neighboring Kiambu County. I sympathize with them; just like the 55 million Kenyans, the Kenyan great grabber is on their c**ase,” Gachagua stated.

He claimed senior KFS officers accompanied by security dogs entered the facility and declared that a portion of the course belongs to Karura Forest. He claimed that Muthaiga Golf Club has existed since before independence and argued that successive head-of-states, including Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, and Uhuru Kenyatta, respected golf courses across the country without interference.

“Members were shocked when senior KFS officers turned up at the club with killer dogs and declared part of the golf course as being in Karura Forest. William Ruto must know that Muthaiga Golf Club has been in existence since before independence, before he was born,” he added.

Warning against the expansion of state interest into private property, Gachagua pledged to resist any takeover attempts and issued a direct warning to KFS officials involved.

“For the senior officials of KFS being used by Mr. Ruto to grab Muthaiga Golf Club, be put on notice that action will be taken against you next year when Kenyans get rid of William Ruto at the ballot on 10th August 2027,” he noted.

Gachagua also alleged that the president and his nuclear family are involved in managing national parks and game reserves, linking these claims to the current actions targeting golf courses.

“Your appetite for land has now surpassed public land; you have now turned to private land. We shall do everything possible to stop you from grabbing Muthaiga Golf Club and other public and private land in the country,” he said.

KFS and Muthaiga Golf Club Positions

The political backlash follows a move by Muthaiga Golf Club to close part of its course. On Tuesday, September 15, the club notified members that KFS had taken over access to the Front Nine (Holes No. 2 through No. 9), claiming the land falls within Karura Forest. The club noted that its board is handling the matter while leaving the driving range and parking areas operational.

KFS declared the club’s occupation of the 21.8-hectare section under Land Reference Number 13134/3 illegal.

According to KFS, Karura Forest was gazetted as a reserve in 1932 and later declared a Central Forest in 1964. The service stated that while historical leases allowed the initial construction of the course in the 1960s, the club failed to honor invitations in 2007 and 2021 to secure a legal Forest Special Use Licence, leaving no official record of lawful occupation.

“There is no evidence of record to the effect proving legal occupation of the forest by the Club. Historically, the Club has acknowledged through various correspondences in our possession, their occupation of a gazetted forest land and the recent claims of ownership may imply grabbing of public land by private interest,” KFS noted.

KFS maintains that the land remains public forest and has invited the club to resolve the matter through statutory channels under the Forest Conservation and Management Act.

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