As he battles auctioneers who want to seize his Sh20 million estate over a Sh3 million loan default, musician Gachathi wa Thuo is reflective.
Born into a large polygamous family of 11 siblings, he was the only one who escaped the poverty that defined his early life. His determination to rise above indignity drove him into ambitious projects that have now left him, in his own words, a “poor millionaire.”
Known for his captivating husky voice, Gachathi boasts a long list of hits, including Karori, Athoni, Mekuiganira Mbahaca, Peris, Wanjiru Kumane, Muiruri Menyerera Kiga, Ngima ya Ngui, Kageci, Kibage Mukurinu, Nairobi Mitigire, Njeri Gitutha, Njokeria Higo Yakwa , among many others—his catalogue exceeds 100 singles.
He freely admits that music accepted him, rewarded him and made him a multimillionaire.
“God blessed me. I went from Sh100-per-night gigs in backstreet pubs to a rate card of at least Sh150,000 per night. I’m not poor; my assets are worth more than Sh50 million. But the problem is that these estates are tied to bank credit. I defaulted on Sh3 million and auctioneers have been unleashed. December 15, 2025, at 3 am is my deadline—after that, I sink back into penury,”he says.
He says he has now been forced to “abandon my pride, identity, celebrity status… and accept that even though I am up, I am also down; stable but weak. I have submitted myself to begging, hoping my fans, colleagues, and friends can bail me out.”
“In my wildest dreams, it never occurred to me—when I was rising so fast—that I would one day come to the public weeping, begging for money. Yet here I am.”
“Without knowing it, I found myself on my social media platforms posting intentions of self-harm. Luckily, friends noticed and rushed to build a fort of care around me.”
“It was fate,” he says. “Doing well, ambitions overwhelming me, poor fiscal decisions, Covid-19, and also my decision to get born again.”
For 15 years, Thuo knew only success as his fame in the Mt Kenya secular music scene rose sharply.
Evangelist Gachathi wa Thuo, whose Sh20 million estate is being auctioned over a Sh3 million loan.
Photo credit: Pool
“I was rising so rapidly that I could dictate a non-negotiable rate card in entertainment joints. My music became almost gospel-like in Mt Kenya,” he says.
“The epitome of my rise was when President Uhuru Kenyatta recruited me for the ruling party’s 2018 campaigns. I had three bank accounts, the least of them holding over a million shillings.”
At this point, he says, “I started driving guzzlers. My cup was overflowing, and I was choking on blessings.”
“Back in the village, I had told God that if He ever made me successful, I would get born again and serve Him. He kept His promise. I didn’t,” Thuo says.
He says God revealed his musical gift despite his primary school dropout status and that he was the only one in his family who received such blessings.
“I sometimes misused what I got in drinking sprees, but God preserved me. I rescued my siblings from poverty, built homes for all of them and my two mothers, and started building my own estate,” he says, explaining how he used his wealth to uplift his family.
“When Covid hit, I could no longer perform. Income dwindled, though I still felt grounded. I didn’t realise I had invested in consumption, not income-generating projects. Reality hit my ledger books,” Thuo says.
To survive, he topped up an existing loan, raising his debt from Sh1.5 million to Sh2.5 million.
“I was a celeb; the creditor trusted me. I thought I wouldn’t default—I could always raise my rate card. But it flopped.”
Even after restrictions ended, interest kept piling up.
With entertainment income shrinking further due to digital competition, he decided to build a retirement home and revisit his promise to God.
He took a loan and built a mansion, staff quarters and several private houses—on land valued at Sh5 million, which was also his loan collateral.
“I had a dream: when I grew old, and my children wanted an inheritance, the estate would become a resort,” he says.
“I felt I was daring God by postponing salvation. I ushered in 2024 as a born-again believer. I shed off my secular ways and became an evangelist.”
That decision, he says, collapsed his cash flow.
Evangelist Gachathi wa Thuo, whose Sh20 million estate is being auctioned over a Sh3 million loan.
Photo credit: Pool
“With my new evangelical status, I could no longer perform in pubs. Income dried up. I defaulted, hoping the blood of Calvary would give me a silver lining. There was an emptiness only God could fill,” he says, revealing how life has been after joining Life Church International in Kenol, Murang’a County.
As he struggled with creditors, he remembered a troubling philosophy and says he interpreted this literally.
“In your low moment, friends will help you—but you have to die first. That thinking made me consider ending my life so my friends would bail out my estate for my family’s sake,” Thuo says.
But when he posted his intentions online, it became the turning point.
Friends—led by influencer Karangu wa Muraya, secular musician Jose Gatutura, gospel artist Ben Githae, and comedian Njoki wa Ndegwa—immediately organised an online fundraiser on December 8, 2025. They raised Sh1.72 million by Tuesday, clearing half the debt.
Evangelist Gachathi wa Thuo, whose Sh20 million estate is being auctioned over a Sh3 million loan.
Photo credit: Pool
Another sitting on December 10 raised an additional Sh200,000, leaving him with the task of raising Sh1m by Monday.
Notable contributors included former Economic Advisor Moses Kuria (Sh200,000) and State House operative Dennis Itumbi (Sh100,000).
“I am humbled. My pride has been deflated. I now see hope. God is teaching me the vanity of relying on my own understanding,” Thuo says.
Efforts to raise the remaining half continue. Mr Muraya says they will even appeal to Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
As fans tease him that “in church poverty found you, but in bars you thrived,” Gachathi responds:
“That is not true. You need divine insight to understand how God works. I will not go back to the secular world. I would rather die in Christ than die in vanity.”
