A quick trip turned into six years in a foreign jail. Kisii businessman and politician Don Bosco Gichana speaks to Ted Malanda about spending a week nude in solitary confinement, the friends who deserted him and how he intends to earn a living.
What was prison life like in Tanzania?
I have been to hell and back! Do not be deceived by the weight I added. It is because last year, I accepted my situation and moved on.
Were you mistreated or tortured?
Yes, I was tortured, badly. There is a time when I was caught with a phone and the prison warders beat me terribly with batons, kicked me with boots and hit me with blows. To date, my back has a problem.
Thereafter, I was put in solitary confinement, totally naked for one week! The cubicle had so many mosquitoes, the floor was horribly cold, and I had no blankets, sheets or a mattress. Food was a quarter of the regular ration of ugali with water.
The punishment room was called PC. I have absolutely no idea what PC stands for. I am actually writing a book about my time in jail.
You have been away for six years. How did you raise the Sh15 million fine?
The fine was raised by good friends who raised slightly over half the amount. DP William Ruto, former PM Raila Odinga, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and some close friends topped up the balance.
What about the cost of your big homecoming bash?
I can’t honestly say that I arranged a big bash. I thank the common mwananchi who did all within their means, from prayers, demonstrations in Kisii town, facing national leaders like President Uhuru Kenyatta, DP Ruto, Raila Odinga, Hon former VP Kalonzo Musyoka, Kisii Governor James Ongwae, Nyamira Governor Nyagarama, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i to many other Kisii and Nyamira leaders demanding my release from a prolonged stay in jail without trial.
What was your greatest fear when you were in jail?
Dying in prison because of depression. I feared for my family’s wellbeing and the absence of a husband and father figure in their lives. I wondered what the long-term impact would be on them.
How did your wife and children cope with your absence?
My wife is a hard-working lady and she took over the construction equipment leasing company and my other businesses. They were able to cope somehow.
You have been charged with fraud several times. Are you a crook?
I was facing two charges: conspiracy and money laundering. There was no fraud or theft charge as I have heard people claim. Let me make this clear! I was acquitted four times and set free only to be re-arrested outside the courtroom. I then decided to plead to an offence I did not commit because of my ailing father and my immediate family whom I had to look after.
How do you intend to earn a living?
I am moving up and down trying to sort out business issues that came up such as Vineyard Lounge on Raphta Road, my caterpillar grader that has been lying at some cop station in Kiambu County that someone had wanted to steal, and a Komatsu excavator PC 240 that disappeared in South Sudan.
I am thankful that while I was in prison, I studied the financial markets very well to a point that I am an expert stock picker in international stock markets, more so Wall Street. I am good in forex trading, commodity futures trading and indices trading.
How did you make so much money at a relatively young age?
I made my first million at the age of 20 years. I was still a student in the US at the time. Remember, the US is a land of opportunities.
The Kenya you left six years ago and the one you found after you were released… what is the difference?
It’s pretty much the same. However, I am impressed by the new road networks in areas such as Yaya/Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Parklands etc. I am still getting lost! I am also impressed by the visibly genuine and laudable war against graft.