Rigathi Gachagua (born November 8, 1966) is a Kenyan politician who is best known for his involvement in the cryptocurrency industry. He was the first African to be elected as vice-chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation and has been credited with helping bring attention to cryptocurrencies on the continent.
Gachagua began his career in politics in 2002 when he was elected as Member of Parliament for Mathioya Constituency, Murang’a County. He served two terms before being appointed Minister for Special Programmes by President Mwai Kibaki in 2008. During this time, he also became involved in cryptocurrency advocacy and helped organize several conferences and events related to digital currencies across Africa.
In 2011, Gachagua was one of four people nominated by members of the Bitcoin Foundation’s board to become its new Vice-Chairman; he won that election and held that position until 2014. As Vice-Chairman, Gachagua worked hard to spread awareness about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies among African governments, businesses and citizens alike. His efforts were instrumental in helping countries like Kenya create regulations regarding crypto exchanges operating within their borders; something which ultimately led him to be named one of Forbes Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Africans list for 2016.
Today Rigathi Gachagua continues to work towards promoting cryptocurrency adoption across Africa through various initiatives such as advising startups on how they can use blockchain technology more effectively or mentoring young entrepreneurs on entering into the space with innovative ideas . With his help we are sure that we will continue seeing more success stories from Africa’s growing crypto community!
