An image claims to show a gazette notice announcing the appointment of Bishop David Kariuki Ngari, alias Gakuyo, as the State House chaplain and intercessor.
Inscriptions on the gazette notice that has circulated on Facebook, Twitter as well as WhatsApp indicate the gazette volume number as Vol.CXXII-No.93, and that it was allegedly published on June 1, 2021. It further states that President Uhuru Kenyatta apparently appointed Bishop Ngari to the said position for a period of 3 years.
Background
Bishop David Kariuki Ngari is among the owners of three organizations that were in 2019 involved in cases of fraud and embezzling investors’ money. The organizations included Gakuyo Real Estate company, Ekeza Sacco and Gakuyo Investment Club. Bishop Ngari, who is commonly known as Gakuyo was particularly on the spot as he was accused of transferring investors’ money to his personal accounts. According to a Citizen TV report, the case involved the loss of over Ksh 2billion with more than 53,000 investors that fell victim.
Bishop Ngari is also known to be a preacher at the Chosen Calvary Center ministry based in Thika. This was said to be among the platforms where he got people to invest in his ‘side hustles’. He would reportedly lure his congregants to putting their money into the sacco while they did so expecting returns. Besides his ministry, Bishop Ngari also seemed to command political influence, as he had served as the economic advisor to former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, and Waititu’s successor, James Nyoro’s political advisor.
The office of @DCI_Kenya is in receipt of numerous fraud complaints touching on Gakuyo Real Estate, Ekeza Sacco Ltd & Gakuyo Investment Club.
Affected Members from Nairobi City & Kiambu County are advised to report to DCI Hqs on 18/03/2019 at 9:00 AM. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/NRvE5cO878
— National Police Service-Kenya (@NPSOfficial_KE) March 13, 2019
Verification
The Kenya Law website, where gazette notices are usually uploaded does not contain a gazette notice published on June 1, 2021. Kenya Law’s records further reveal that the gazette volume number used: Vol.CXXII-No.93, is actually from a gazette notice issued on May 20, 2020.
The gazette notice claiming that Bishop Ngari was allegedly appointed as the State House chaplain and intercessor hence appears to have been doctored and illegitimate. One of the glaring mistakes in this notice is in its volume number. Gazette volume numbers issued in 2021, as is evident in those published on the Kenya Law website, are labeled CXXIII which is the roman number for 123, while those published in 2020 are numbered CXXII (roman numerals for 122).
At the same time, the alleged appointment of Bishop David Ngari to State House has not been announced on official platforms, such as the State House Twitter or Facebook accounts which routinely update news from State House. This has also not been announced by State House spokesperson, Kanze Dena, via mainstream or social media.
Verdict
The gazette notice claiming to announce that Bishop David Ngari was on June 1, 2021 appointed as the State House Intercessor and chaplain is FAKE.
No