Reuben Kigame declares Ksh.60M net worth, to fund presidential campaign through donations

Presidential aspirant Dr. Reuben Kigame has revealed that his net worth stands at approximately Ksh.60 million, adding that he will depend on donations from Kenyans and support from friends to finance his campaign.

Appearing on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show on Wednesday night, the gospel musician-turned-politician dismissed claims that a serious presidential campaign can only be bankrolled through questionable sources of wealth.

He intimated that his bid will be powered by ordinary contributions from Kenyans of goodwill.

“You once saw the donation button—yes, that is one way, through my contributions.. Of course, I have friends who are helping me and I hope they continue to do so. I do believe that citizens, anywhere, not just in Kenya, can fund a presidential candidate. And it doesn’t stop when Kigame says he wants to be president—we have a paybill, and I do believe Kenyans can support me,” he said.

“I have a house that is maybe worth about Ksh.30 million. I have a car worth around Ksh.3 million. I have clothes, a music system, computers, and other things. But even if you put everything together, I don’t think it amounts to much; you would get to maybe more than Ksh.50 or 60 million,” he stated.

Dr. Kigame disclosed that part of his personal income comes from his long-standing music career, which he has used to sustain some of his initiatives.

“I have sung songs, and I use the little income I get from music here and there to do some of the things I do. And I can tell you, it’s not easy. But the question is, how have I come this far without looking for the so-called rogue money? Because people think that to get campaign money you have to do drugs, you have to lie, you have to steal, you have to get people with questionable records to fund your campaign," he said.

"I don’t want any of that money if I know the source is wrong. So, I want to challenge Kenyans to put money in an alternative candidate. It happened with Obama, it can happen here."

The former presidential hopeful, who was disqualified by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in 2022 for not meeting signature thresholds, further claimed that his troubles with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) began shortly after he filed a case against senior security officials.

“Because I live off royalties, and KRA, after I filed the case against our security bosses, the next day, KRA was knocking, saying that I sold a house, which I never sold. They said I owe the government like Ksh.20 million, which I don't. It’s because they were calculating the worth of a tower, I think, that sits on my compound that is owned by Airtel. And that’s not mine. So, but the curious thing is, why did they come?” he posed.