Mathira Member of Parliament Rigathi Gachagua was on Monday charged with fraudulently receiving Sh7 billion.

Rigathi was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts to face corruption charges before Chief Magistrate Lawrence Mugambi on Monday morning.

The UDA-allied MP was arrested at his home in Mathira, Nyeri County on Friday and brought to the Directorate of Criminal (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi and questioned for hours.

He spent the entire weekend in police holding cells at Gigiri Police Station.

Rigathi faced charges of graft, money laundering, abuse of office, illegal acquisition of public property, conflict of interest and acquisition of proceeds of crime.

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The DP William Ruto allied MP was charged alongside 9 other individuals who were not before the court.

He, however, denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Sh12 million or an alternative of a Sh25 million bond.

The court further instructed Rigathi to surrender his passport and barred from contacting any witnesses linked to his case.

According to his charge sheet, it is alleged that the MP was involved in a host of fraudulent activities on diverse dates between 2013 and 2020.

His Friday arrest drew mixed reactions from members of the public and politicians, coming days after he dared the DCI to arrest him if they have any evidence linking him to graft.