Kenya Insights

Author: Kenya Insights Team

  • Mobile Loans Lender Whitepath Punished With Authority For Harassing Customers

    Mobile Loans Lender Whitepath Punished With Authority For Harassing Customers

    The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has issued two penalty notices against Whitepath company limited and Regus Kenya for contravening data protection laws.

    The companies will now be required to pay a fine of Sh5 million each.

    For White Path, the penalty has been issued because the firm failed to comply with an ODPC’s enforcement notice dated January 10, 2023.

    In a statement, the ODPC noted that it has received close to 150 complaints against Whitepath alleging that their applications have accessed their mobile phone contacts and are sending unwarranted and unsolicited text messages to the said contacts.

    “Additionally, the Whitepath staff have been harassing the complainants, and their contacts irregularly obtained from the complainant’s phone books,” the statement read.

    The penalty on Regus Kenya is on basis of the firm being non-cooperative and failing to respond to a Notification of Complaint dated October 27, 2022, a reminder to the Notification of Complaint dated November 11, 2022, and an Enforcement Notice dated  February 16, 2023.

    The ODPC noted that the complaint against Regus alleged frequent spamming of automated improper information to the complainant despite attempts to make the respondent stop.

    Speaking on the notices, the Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, MBS said, “Data protection is the responsibility of every data controller and processor and it must be the company’s top priority whenever they collect, process, or store personal information.”

    “I challenge businesses to protect personal data by design and by default and cooperate with the ODPC to avoid penalties,” she said.

    The ODPC has also issued an enforcement notice to Ecological Industries Limited due to non-cooperation with several notifications of a complaint launched on January 25, 2023 and a reminder on February 15, 2023 against them for publishing of a personal photo on a company catalog and calendar for marketing purposes.

    “Failure to comply with the enforcement notice within the stipulated time, Ecological Industries Limited will be faced with a penalty notice,” the ODPC said.

    According to Section 72 of the Data Protection Act of 2019, a data controller who, without lawful excuse, discloses personal data in any manner that is incompatible with the purpose for which such data has been collected commits an offence. Additionally, a data processor who, without lawful excuse, discloses personal data processed by the data processor without the prior authority of the data controller commits an offence.

    In 2021, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner began investigations into a number of digital lenders for sharing borrowers’ confidential data in pursuit of loan defaulters.

    Further, in March 2022, the Central Bank of Kenya banned digital credit providers, its officers, or agents in the course of debt collection, from using obscene or profane language with the customer or the customers’ contacts for purposes of shaming them.

    The complaints about Whitepath are so severe that a local newspaper reported how the firm went as far as forming a WhatsApp group for a client and faking suicide threats to his contacts.

    There are numerous complaints from a number of consumers from Whitepath, including a petition generated by Ms Caroline Kahiu seeking to ban the app over what she termed severe harassment and debt shaming by its employees.

    The complaints against Whitepath point to a growing concern among the public over the debt collection harassment by loan app companies. Customers have reported being harassed by uncouth loan company agents who call them and their contacts incessantly in a bid to force them to pay loans.

    Due to the growing concern, Google announced last week said it would from May 31 prohibit loan apps from accessing user contacts, external storage, images, videos, contacts, the exact location, and call records.

    Whitepath Company is alleged to be operating several apps namely Skypesa, Instacarsh, Kubwa cash Fastcash, Mcredit, papcash, Zuri Cash, and many others.

    So far, only 22 digital lenders have been licensed with WhitePath missing from the list.

  • Ruto’s Mean Deal With Shadowy Belgian Company Raises Eyebrows

    Ruto’s Mean Deal With Shadowy Belgian Company Raises Eyebrows

    For the last seven months, the doors at State House have been revolving endlessly as local and foreign visitors scramble for whatever time they can get with President William Ruto.

    Since taking power in September last year, Dr Ruto has made no secret of his intention to knock on any doors to unlock foreign investments, a stand that has sharply increased demand for his time.

    March 21 was no different as the President gave audience to a little-known Belgian charity in a closed-door meeting.

    The meeting, which was a culmination of talks earlier in the year between Belgium’s Bridgin Foundation and Kenya’s ambassador to Brussels, Bitange Ndemo, focused on investments.

    “Following engagements with the mission early this year, the president of Bridgin Foundation yesterday met President @WilliamsRuto and discussed possible projects to be undertaken in the country. @bantigito @ForeignOfficeKE #Partnerships,” the embassy tweeted the following morning.

    But the meeting, alongside other engagements with foreign consultants, has raised red flags with the potential of evolving into embarrassing and very expensive mistakes for the taxpayer.

    For close to 10 years, Bridgin Foundation has traversed the world, promising to pump billions of dollars into infrastructure projects in developing countries.

    Its source of funds? Supposedly a network of old Jewish tycoons terrified of leaving their dollars in their bank accounts after death.

    Not much is known about Bridgin, other than the fact that its president is Prof Tanko Mouhamadou and its Programme Director is Christophe Prieels.

    The charity’s website has no information about its financiers, completed projects that such institutions are usually quick to showcase, or any data that can be used to verify Bridgin’s credibility.

    The website has only one page, which says it is registered in Belgium and aims to assist developing countries.

    “For confidentiality and security reasons, this website is intentionally left without detailed content. Should you need further information, please contact us using the button below, Prof Tanko Mouhamadou,” a disclaimer at the bottom of the page reads.

    Clicking on the contact button only leads one to a link seeking to register a new email address.

    From Uzbekistan and Nepal in Asia and Ecuador in South America, Bridgin has given big pledges that would have made the developing nations better off economically.

    In Africa, the same promises have been made to Uganda, Nigeria, Liberia and, most recently, Malawi.

    In November last year, Bridgin signed a contract with the Malawi government that was to see it invest $6.8 billion in infrastructure across the country. The amount is more than double Malawi’s budget for the current financial year.

    Bridgin promised to start by putting up a state-of-the-art hospital city in Malawi. It says it will spend $1 billion to solve the country’s health needs through the investment.

    Malawi has started including some of the projects under the Bridgin contract in its budget.

    In Nepal, Bridgin promised Kathmandu University a $120 million hydro-power facility, with 10 per cent of the project funds going into operational costs like staff salaries.

    The contract was to be terminated if Bridgin did nothing within 12 months of signing. The 12 months lapsed in 2021.

    In Ecuador, it was a $200 million research hospital for Cuenca University.

    A similar amount was promised for agriculture and food security projects in Uzbekistan.

    But in all these countries where big promises were made, the only thing to show is images of hearty handshakes and smiles during flashy contract-signing events.

    The government of Malawi was recently left with egg on face when journalists from a local publication, The Nation, revealed that taxpayers footed travel and accommodation bills for Bridgin Foundation officials during the contract-signing visit.

    Prof Mouhamadou claimed in his response that the money would be refunded when Bridgin starts pouring dollars into Malawi’s infrastructure.

    But the company’s track record indicates that Malawian taxpayers may have to accept that they simply gave an all-expenses-paid trip to Prof Mouhamadou and his team.

    Prof Ndemo has not responded to our calls or text messages on whether there is a formal arrangement in the works with Bridgin Foundation, or if taxpayers have dug into their pockets to facilitate engagements that have happened with the shadowy institution.

    When Belgian reporters affiliated to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists visited a building Bridgin Foundation claims to operate from in Brussels, they found no indication it has offices there.

    The building is in the European Quarter, a section of the capital city that hosts offices of several EU institutions.

    The building employees confirmed that Bridgin periodically hires a room to hold meetings.

    It means the institution that has signed billion-dollar contracts with several countries – with Kenya seemingly almost joining the club – has no verifiable physical presence.

    Bridgin was incorporated in Belgium on November 18, 2014.

    Other than Prof Mouhamadou and Prieels, Bridgin has Bourgys Sébastien Stéphane and Ruessmann Florence as its directors.

    Bastin Yves Jean left the directorship in 2020.

    Investigative journalism firm, AmaBhungane, established that Bridgin has never filed annual accounts with Belgian authorities since incorporation. The organisation has only filed tax returns.

    Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera described his country’s $6.8 billion deal as “early Christmas”, barely six months after Uganda’s education spokesperson admitted that Bridgin’s offer sounded “too good to be true”.

    Last month, Prof Mouhamadou told AmaBhungane that the agency operates using the Judaist spirit of Tikkun olam.

    In Tikkun olam, subscribers take remedial action to repair the world and leave it a better place.

    The Bridgin Foundation engagement is the second incident involving the Kenya Kwanza government to set off international alarm bells, following a February trip to Qatar by Trade and Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria.

    Three days before Mr Kuria led a team of 30 for an investment forum in Doha, a letter detailing the travel party’s identities was leaked to journalists at the Nation Media Group.

    Mr Alexandr Zingman, 56, and Mr Oleg Vodchits, 36, were listed in a February 24 letter from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to the Qatari embassy as being in a team from Mr Kuria’s ministry that was to fly to Doha for a five-day event starting on February 27.

    To justify the two Belarusians’ presence in his team, the minister listed them as advisers on countries.

    Mr Zingman owns Aftrade DMCC, a company that trades agricultural equipment and solutions with African countries. Mr Vodchits is the CEO.

    The Dubai-registered company has a local presence and has sold tractors to Kenyan farmers.

    Mr Zingman is close to Mr Segei Sheiman, an associate of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.

    The two were arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021 over links to shady dealings with gold. He has in the past been linked to arms sales in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    Mr Zingman and Mr Sheiman have gold dealings in the DR Congo, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Their Zimbabwe gold businesses were falsely presented to the public as a joint venture between Zimbabwe and Belarus.

    Mr Zingman was among individuals unmasked in the 2021 Pandora Papers – a trove of documents revealing registration of shell companies in tax havens by hundreds of influential individuals across the world – over the Zimbabwe dealings.

    He used shell companies registered in the UK and the Seychelles in an attempt to hide his ownership of Zim Goldfields, the company at the heart of the shady gold dealings.

    Zim Goldfields was in 2018 granted a licence to mine gold in a section of River Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe. It also bagged prospecting deals for platinum and rare earth metals.

    Initially, the contracts were painted as government-to-government deals, only for the Pandora Papers to reveal that they were benefiting private institutions. Zimbabwean authorities insist that Mr Zingman is a legitimate businessman whose dealings with the country are above board.

    He is honorary consul of Belarus to Zimbabwe. Mr Zingman is an ally of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, former DR Congo leader Joseph Kabila, Mr Kuria and other leaders.

    When asked about the two Belarusians in his trip to Qatar, the CS said no one had a right to ask questions about his friends.

    Mr Kuria said the Belarusians would foot their bills for the Qatari excursion, hence there was no need to reveal any information on their role in the ministry.

    Mr Kuria and his Foreign and Diaspora Affairs colleague, Alfred Mutua, met Belarusian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Aleinik at the country’s embassy on Monday and discussed bilateral ties.

    Mr Aleinik also met President Ruto, who urged Belarus to consider investing in Kenya.

    (Weekly Review).

  • Ingenious Concept Group Engaged In Price Fixing For Billboards With Rogue Outdoor Advertising Agency Staff

    Ingenious Concept Group Engaged In Price Fixing For Billboards With Rogue Outdoor Advertising Agency Staff

    The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has found the Ingenious Concept Group of engaging in unethical business with crooked members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Kenya (OAAK) in which the firm was accused of violating policies and regulations in doing price fixing for the 12m by 10m billboards in major towns in Africa.

    Following investigations by CAK, the authority established that the advertising agency had breached Section 21 of the Act and Section 22.

    Ingenious was penalized and paid Sh193,021.

    The company Ingenious Concepts Group provides advertising services that relate to billboards.

  • Kaluma’s Family Protection Bill (Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill) is Importing Hate

    Kaluma’s Family Protection Bill (Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill) is Importing Hate

    What is this family that we are trying to protect and from what enemy? Evil? What is this that irks us about how diverse, different forms of families that we have and continue to emerge? Why do we continue to selectively choose the values that suit us and the community we come from?

    The Family Protection Bill (2023) was introduced into the National Assembly by Member of Parliament George Peter Kaluma (ODM) on 6 April 2023.  Under the guise of ‘family protection’, the Bill is actually draconian legislation targeting gay and transgender people in Kenya. The majority of the Bill is lifted from the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill (2023), which was passed by the Uganda Parliament in March 2023 and is awaiting assent by President Museveni. The Kenyan version is poorly written and contravenes various international human rights instruments, the Constitution of Kenya and existing legal and policy frameworks.  

    The mere existence of this Bill poses a serious threat to the lives, safety and dignity of LGBTQ+ people and allies in Kenya and must be resisted on all fronts. Kaluma’s Bill, largely being a process hugely supported by the religious groups from the west aims to increasingly block human rights for LGBTQ+ persons and groups from a view of framing gender rights as a threat to the health, safety and wellbeing of children and the larger community and society.

    These religious groups are conservative, faith-based and operate under the umbrella term ‘anti-gender ideology. Most of these anti-gender groups are international registered and work with local leaders to import hate to its people.

    The primary strategy of anti-gender groups is to manufacture moral panic by crafting easy-to-understand narratives based on misinformation and selective interpretations of human rights, religious teachings, negative cultural beliefs and scientific evidence that create a divided worldview: ‘good people’ vs. ‘bad people’. 

    ‘Good people’ are those who uphold the heterosexual, patriarchal family as society’s core and defend parental authority over the principle of the best interest of the child. They claim to protect children from an alleged ‘internationally-funded agenda’ that seeks to corrupt and harm them – part of this agenda are LGBTQ+, women’s, and children’s rights defenders, labelled as ‘evil’. This narrative is highly effective in creating moral panic andsocial outrage.

    What are these cultural and African values that we keep on being lectured about that we are moving away from? Our Culture also forbids corruption, lying, rape, incest. Access, uptake, enjoyment and provision of freedoms and rights to all Kenyans is a fundamental right. Addressing issues around rights of the sexual minorities; LGBTQ+ is important to ensure no violence or discrimination is witnessed, as well persons are respected despite their sexual orientation.

    The bill creates a perception that LGBTQ+ people, access to Safe Abortion and Sex Education balls up as the enemy. What is immoral about access to life-saving information, service that aims to support adolescents, young people and women when it comes to Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Safe and Legal Abortion, Access to sex and sexuality education including Contraception services? What is this that irks the church, religious leaders about young people getting informed about sex, sexuality issues?

    The bill dissects issues of Abortion, Sex, sexuality, LGBTQ+ support as an imposition of maintaining the family values that discriminate against new kind of family set ups. Why are religious groups obsessed with the LGBTQ+ persons and issues when there are more pressing issues like Sexual Violence, corruption in this nation? Is Kenya governed by the bible or the constitution? Why is there an assumption that LGBTQ+ people are only about sex?

    Young people in all their diversities are engaging in sexual activities, and we need not to pretend that they are not. According to reports, most of the adolescents and young people engage in sex before the age of 12. According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS 2014) 1 in 5 girls is either pregnant with her first child or has had a live birth.

    Access, uptake and enjoyment of Age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education is being barred by misinformation that sexuality education encourages same sex relations.

    Access to verified, quality and comprehensive information is one of the most sustainable and best ways to ensure we reduce some of the negative outcomes when it comes to reproductive health in particular and health in general. In fact, CSE seeks to give students, the knowledge, attitude, skills, and values to make informed appropriate and healthy choices about their sexuality and lifestyle. Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) involves giving age-appropriate and culturally sensitive sexuality education to adolescents and young people. Access to all Sexual Reproductive health and rights information, services and commodities is a timely and human rights issues as adolescents and young people are going through a lot of social, reproductive health issues.

    Adolescent and young people should receive medically accurate, fact-based information about sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in a structured manner and in a safe environment.

    This proposed bill continues to create a misguided perception in society that lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer individuals are criminals and an outcast; a perception that subsets of the state and religious institutions advance to further perpetuate human rights violation and acts of violence.

    The bill has a section on limitation of rights and freedoms, limiting rights to privacy, freedom of media, association amongst others. Today this bill is proposing to Limit rights and freedoms for the LGBTQ+ persons, next they will limit your rights to have dreadlocks as a man, to walk down in Nairobi how you are dressed.

    I dare say that as a country we are Hypocrites! We only choose the values that suits us, we play to the morality that suits us. Even as a staunch Christian, Nothingdemeans humanity more than Christianity. God loves us all. But religion in all its entirety says and does otherwise, they judge you.

    Kenya is a country, NOT a church! Kenya IS ONLY “CHRSITIAN” when Abortion, Contraception, LGBTQ+ persons, Sex and sexuality issues are involved. Never when these politicians rob the country blind, not when the cops kill people all the damn time, not when our human rights are violated.

    Alvin Mwangi

    Youth Church Leader

    Twitter: @alvinmwangi254

    Nairobi, Kenya

  • Internal Memo To NITA Board Of Directors From Concerned Staff

    Internal Memo To NITA Board Of Directors From Concerned Staff

    Subject: Mr. Stephen Ogenga is the ring-leader behind the deadlyfinancial scandals facing the Authority​

    ‘If one lies down with a dog, he will wake up with fleas’. A section of the nita board of directors is in bed with a scandalous accounting officer.

    Either Ogenga’s conduct is a threat worth acting against or it is not, the board has to decide which it is and cease these bipolar mood swings.

    Ogenga has allowed fraud and corruption to thrive at NITA and the deadly in fights over the dirty money has taken a life.

    1. Is the board aware that focus is shifting to nita over the brutal murder of June Kangogo? Is the Board aware that focus on investigations is shifting to NITA?
    2. Is the board aware of an independent procurement department within finance department run by accountants and Ogenga?
    3. Is the board aware of procurement under deals in finance department unknown to Supply Chain Management department?
    4. Is the board aware that LSOs for companies associated with June Kangogo and her boyfriend were given first lane treatment, processed God-speed within finance department and payments made with express authority of Ogenga?
    5. Is the board aware that internal audit department was restricted and denied from accessing payment vouchers associated with hot air supplies under ‘express instructions of Ogenga’?
    6. Is the board aware that millions of taxpayers’ money were lost at nita through payment of hot air supplies to companies known to Ogenga, Nakitare, Timothy, Allan, June & Korir (the cashier)
    7. Is the board aware that Ogenga influences procurement decisions by openly expressing his direct support for particular suppliers for contract awards? Very shortly, we shall expose how tenders evaluated late last year 2022 were awarded late March 2022 in strict violation of Public Procurement Disposal Act (PPDA) and other Regulations.
    8. Is the board aware that access to procurement records at NITA by suppliers associated with Ogenga is wanting?

    Next: tenders evaluated in December 2022 fermented in Ogenga’s office till late March 2023 for unspecified reasons.

    Concerned Staff – NITA

    ​

  • Forget About The Sponsored And Screaming Headlines About Nita Accountant June Kangogo

    Forget About The Sponsored And Screaming Headlines About Nita Accountant June Kangogo

    It is not about a coffee date or boyfriend fiascos. Ms. Kangogo’s death is has a direct relationship with financial scandals at NITA. We are not aliens arriving from the planet mars to see screaming headlines sponsored to hide that truth. Ms. Kangogo’s brutal murder is associated with a calamity of financial and accounting fraud at NITA’s Finance Department – don’t look elsewhere.

    We tell it as it is for purposes of setting the record straight on events connecting the dots as a built up to the brutal murder of our colleague and friend Ms. Kangogo. The straightaway evidence is about financial and accounting fraud which is entertained and authorized by the Director General (DG) Stephen Ogenga in cahoots with two rogue accountants.

    When Julius Ndenge (Substantive Manager – Finance) became indisposed of stroke over work related pressure, he was hospitalized and thereafter, he proceeded on a long sick-leave. Thieves took advantage! Thieves Celebrated, Thieves planned and schemed how to steal taxpayers’ money – waliibaaaa!!!..Walikulaaaa!!!..

    DG Ogenga, Accountant Thomas Nakitare (De-facto Manager Finance) and Accountant James Nyang’au (Revenue Accountant) entered into a criminal conspiracy and embarked on an intense mission of falsifying and manipulating financial records through creative accounting to siphon millions of taxpayers’ money for their own gain.

    The wide-scale fraud at NITA inside two-and-half years saw;-

    • Mr. Nyang’au drives a luxurious Mercedes Benz and is rumored to have acquired various properties within Nairobi including Ongata Rongai and Karen.
    • Mr. Nakitare has acquired, developed and is developing properties within Njiru and Umoja. We can independently confirm that he has completed;
    ✓ A four-storey rental flat in Njiru and
    ✓ A mansion in Njiru currently rented to a Kenyan of Somali Origin.

    Mr. Nakitare has also acquired rental properties in Chokaa within the outer environs of Njiru and in Umoja.

    • DG Ogenga receives his loot in brown envelopes and since his family is based in Botswana, our source is unable to identify where he invests his cut running into millions.

    FACTBOX:

    ❖ The absence of Mr. Ndenge from office rendered Finance Department a fertile ground for criminal conspiracy by Mr. Ogenga, Mr. Nakitare and Mr. Nyang’au due to their salient appetite for taxpayers’ money. Creative accounting and first lane attention was given to payment vouchers associated with their interests as they shamelessly defrauded NITA.
    ❖ Accountants on Temporary Terms of Service (TEs) were roped into this criminal web, used under unlawful instructions in processing of financial instruments related to the mega-fraud and act as conduits with handsome monetary rewards. The death of Ms. Kangogo was conceived here – don’t look elsewhere.

    ❖     Allan Wafula Matete, Timothy Masika Chetegei and June Jerop Kangogo were the critical accountants and facilitating midwifes intensively bankrolled into the fraud owing to their vulnerable terms of service, Mkubwa amesema or hii ni mambo ya Omwami ‘(DG Ogenga)’ …. Says Nakitare the temporary Boss in Finance Department. NITA’s taxpayers’ money ended up in the hands of opportunistic thieves in the trio ofDG Ogenga, Nakitare & Nyang’au. NITA bled from here, sema blatant theft of taxpayers’ money supported and facilitated by an accounting officer having the support and highest commendation of the FKE/COTU representatives shamelessly sitting at the NITA Board – why is a section of the NITA Board in a matrimonial bed with a thief of taxpayers’ monies?
    ❖ TEs at NITA earn at maximum Ksh 43,000 in cumulative salary whereas those in Finance Department and Levy Administration are shamelessly and publicly showing off in social media high-end lifestyles literally above their pay-grades. Just visit the Facebook & Instagram pages of Tim Chetegei to satisfy yourselves with a lifestyle literally non-commensurate with the lifestyle of a public servant earning a meager Ksh. 43,000 Kenyan salary.
    ❖ Allan Wafula Matete and the current person of interest in Ms. Kangogo’s murder are close relatives of Timothy Masika/Chetegei/Nalyanya (an employee on many aliases). As accountants on a common assignment ya wakubwa and Omwami DG Ogenga, the sweetness of black money motivated our innocent colleague and friend to be lured into a relationship with Jesse.
    ❖ Allan would later on exit NITA mysteriously over the black money and with the passionate relationship ongoing, Ms. Kangogo bought a black Mercedes Benze in Jesse’s name to cheat the system in the Kenyan way of thieving to avoid suspicion. Gari ilijipata Bungoma. Ms. Kangogo wanted her beast back but since it was in Allan’s name, the conversation transited to ‘’NOT OVER MY DEAD BODY’. The rest tunaachia DCI. Ms. Kangogo was occasionally and discreetly picked up by a black Mercedes Benz from NITA after work.    
    ❖ DG Ogenga acted through Ms. Kangogo to earn himself outrageous imprest advances up to Ksh. 1,000,000 or thereabout. This girl was not his Executive Secretary or an employee with critical portfolio. The same imprest was surrendered using fictitious receipts designed and manufactured somewhere in Land Mawe in Industrial Area, Nairobi.
    ❖ THE MONSTER IN THE HOUSE: Ms. Kangogo’s Bank Account was flagged off on several occasions by the Bank over suspicious financial activities involving huge amounts of electronic funds transfers from NITA. However, questions arising from the Bank to NITA with regard to the suspicious trend of financial activities in Ms. Kangogo’s account were assigned to the Defacto Finance chief in town Mr. Nakitare who offered lukewarm and downplaying ordinary answers in attempts to provide a justification depicting authorized, ordinaryand normal  remittances to her account –some NITA Board of Directors areshamelessly in bed with such thieves stealing taxpayers’ monies broad daylight.
    ❖ FINANCE DEPARTMENT at NITA and office the DG should be declared in no uncertain terms as first primary scenes of crime. The culprits who initiated the financial scam or fraud at NITA are DG Ogenga, Mr. Nakitare & Mr. Nyang’au. The black money racket and in fights over themillions of taxpayers’ monies is directly linked to the brutal murder of our colleague and comrade Ms. Kangogo. The Mercedes Benz belonged to Ms. Kangogo and Allan in connivance with his kin Timothy and Jesse deemed it fit to extinguish her from within to acquire the Mercedes Benz, the flat in South B and the million highly suspected to be in her Bank Account.
    ❖ DG Stephen Ogenga as the Accounting Officer is directly responsible and he shouldbe called explain to the NITA Board & DCI detectives why Ms. Kangogo was a recipient of obscene and outrageous imprest advances whereas this was an employee on Temporary Terms of Service. This is a shocking revelation factoring in that DG Stephen Ogenga was directly involved in connivance with other Accountants in a swindling scam to defraud NITA taxpayers’ in black money – a biblical thief religiously entertained, acclaimed, supported and adored by FKE/COTU representatives sitting at the NITA Board – a pathological liar and a certified thief – MWIZI.
    ❖ Why was June, a TE tasked to control the NITA VOTE – BOOK? The whole scam is here! Manipulation of vote-heads to facilitate grand theft.  

    To keep the main objective on sight as to unraveling the brutal murder of Ms. Kangogo, and to enable the DCI sleuths from Kiambu Road to get a through pass to where the rubber meets the road, Finance Department and office of the DG Stephen Ogenga must be subjected to a thorough and  independent forensic investigation to establish how the complex interplay of criminal conspiracy through financial and accounting fraud rendered a direct contribution to the brutal murder of Ms. June Jerop Kangogo.

    Intelligent Reporting from

    NITA Staff on #JusticeforJuneKangogo

    PRIMARY SOURCE

  • Controversial Somali Fugitive Establishes New Base Of Operations In Kenya

    Controversial Somali Fugitive Establishes New Base Of Operations In Kenya

    A controversial Somali fugitive who was recently released from prison in Somalia has found and established a safe haven in Kenya. The man, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, who has had several run-ins with Somalia’s authorities gained entry into Kenya from where he perpetuates his anti-government campaigns while hiding under the cover of a victimized journalist.

    While observers note that he is just a clever person attracting trouble to market himself with global NGOs and funding bodies, security analysts point to his activities being direct security threats to Somalia who is still struggling to regain stability. Further, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin’s activities have increasingly attracted support from radical groups with links to Al-Shaabab who wish to see the fragile Somali government crumble.

    Mumin has reportedly made contact with radical groups in opposition to the Somalia government who are fanning anti-government activities right from Nairobi. It is not inconceivable to point out that Mumin and his group of extremists hope to strain the Kenya-Somalia relations which have been very vital in the continued war against Al-Shaabab and other extremist groups.

    Even more shocking is the new angle Abdalla Ahmed Mumin has taken of not only attacking Somalia’s government officials but also revealing the operations of Somalia’s prisons and security agencies. As if not enough, Mumin has gone ahead to launch an online campaign of exposing the identities of several NISA (Somalia’s intelligence agency) officials putting them in the radar of terrorists.

    In their hate against the new Somali government, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin and his main benefactor Hassan Ali Khereye (Former Somali Prime Minister) are not only risking the lives of Somalia’s intelligence and security officials but are also clawing back the gains made in the fight against terrorism. The two forget that terrorism isn’t a Somalia-problem but a regional as well as continental problem with neighboring countries like Kenya being direct casualties of terror attacks.

    Further, by using Nairobi as the headquarters of their clandestine operations, Abdalle and his benefactors are working hard to make it appear that Kenya is sympathetic to their dirty campaign and condones such activities.

    Whose bidding is Abdalle Ahmed Mumin doing by constantly attacking Somalia’s security agencies and laying the grounds for an Al Shaabab takeover?

  • Uproar at Coast Water Agency over Newly Created Positions

    Uproar at Coast Water Agency over Newly Created Positions

    A section of workers at Coast Water Development Agency have raised concerns over the manner in which new positions were created and filled.
    They want the matter be investigated as they claim the move was illegal.

    The workers have asked the anti graft agency to intervene and stop more corruption being perpetuated at the agency.

    The board at the agency initiated changes in the leadership structure by putting some of the staff on contract of years on a permanent and pensionable terms without advertising through the internal memo so that the other staff can apply for the same posts.
The Board created new positions of Directors of departments and shockingly all the positions were grabbed by the senior officers.

    Those against the move claim the new organization structure is against the law and discriminates against other officers from getting an equal opportunity to be appointed.

    New positions created include, Director-Infrastructure and projects management, Director-Financial services, Director-Legal services and Director-Human resource services.

    The positions filled include, Finance Manager-Stephen Masaai, head of procurement Stanslus Jira head of procurement, Technical manager-Martin Tsuma, Acting CEO Human Resource Manager-Simon Charo Menza, Legal and company secretary-Mary Kioma and lastly Audit manager-Hamadi Mwazito.

“The board under stewardship of Omar Boga created an illegal Organization structure whereby they came up with Directors positions for each management position,” a source said
    Stephen Maasai was an accountant and was given the position of finance in acting capacity but later he was confirmed as deputy Director Financial Services, a position he did not apply and was not advertised even through internal memo.

    The move could however attract the attention of the Ministry of Water and the leadership changes are likely to be reviewed in the same manner Kenya Ports Authority new Managing Director Captain William Ruto reviewed the parastatal’s leadership structure when he took over office.

    KPA Board chairman Benjamin Tayari said the changes were aimed at bolstering service delivery and correcting some mistakes done in the past.
    “The management of the Authority appreciates enormous responsibility bestowed upon it for the better execution of its mandate; it undertakes the following staff reorganization to align its human resources to its strategic direction,” Tayari said in a statement.

    Martin Tauma.

    During the launch of the Sh25 billion Mwache Multipurpose Dam project in Kwale County on Thursday by President William Ruto, Governors Abdhulswamad Nassir Mombasa and his Kwale counterpart Fatuma Achani called on the head of state to deal firmly with mismanagement and corruption within state agencies.

    The governors attributed poor water services to agencies with the CWDA being put on the spot by some of the leaders.

    “We are asking you to quickly move and safeguard hundreds of Mombasa and Kwale people. This cartelism at Coast Water must come to an end, “said Nassir.

    Some senior officers at the agency have been accused of creating artificial water  crises to suit their own interests like selling water through  private companies.

    A senior EACC officer privy to the ongoing investigations said that such officers risk prosecution and as per the Human Resources management act and Muongozo guideline for state corporation it clearly states on how state officers should adhere to employment act.

  • Kerra Put On The Spot Over Eldas Constituency Tenders

    Kerra Put On The Spot Over Eldas Constituency Tenders

    A resident of Eldas Constituency in Wajir county has written to the director-general of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority on the status of the roads in the area.

    Feisal Abdikadir Adan through lawyer Wesonga Jakoyah wants KeRRA to provide to him a list of all the roads that were constructed, upgraded, rehabilitated and maintained in the last two years, and their exact specifications.

    The resident wants the authority to furnish him with a list of all the road construction, upgrading, rehabilitation and maintenance fenders and the dates of advertisement of the tenders with the stated period.

    Eldas Constituency is represented by MP Aden Keynan, whose election was upheld by the High Court in a recent judgement making him the longest serving MP.

    “Take notice that even the community within the constituency requires the Information for purposes of accountability, transparency and fairness,” says the voter.

    Adan further wants to be supplied with tender committee evaluation reports for all the bids in respect to the roads whose construction was advertised and awarded.

    The says he has reasonable belief that for a long time now, tenders for the construction, upgrading, rehabilitation and general maintenance of roads within Eldas constituency have been awarded unfairy and with favoritism to a few companies and individuals to the detriment of other qualified bidders within the constituency.

    He also says the tenders have been awarded against the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act and the Regulations thereto.

    In the letter Adan further wants a complete list of all the companies or entities that tendered for any road construction, upgrading, rehabilitation and maintenance including the successful bidders during the period.

    The voter says he is requesting the information under Article 35 (1) (a) of the Constitution and Sections 4,5 and 8 of the Access to Information Act, No. 31 of 2016.

    He requested to have the aforesaid information within twenty one (21) days from the day hereof failing which we shall pursue a different cause action.

    The letter has been copied to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

  • Who Wanted NITA Accountant Dead

    Who Wanted NITA Accountant Dead

    Ms June Jerop Kangogo 36, an accountant at the National Industrial Training Authority (Nita) and Masters student at Kenyatta University, went missing on March 19, at around 5 pm.

    Forty-eight hours later her lifeless body was found by pedestrians near Jamhuri Primary School.

    According to her elder sister Ms Joyce Jepkemoi, Jerop, interacted with her friends on March 19 until around 5 pm when she excused herself to go for a coffee date.

    That is the last time her classmates saw her alive.

    Police said that when her body was found, it was covered with blood and swollen, a pointer that she may have been stabbed many times or hit by a blunt object.

    Preliminary investigations revealed that she was murdered elsewhere and her body dumped by the roadside.

    Confirmed that she was killed, detectives have been trying to piece up evidence to determine the motive behind and unravel the circumstances the brutal murder and the killers.

    Police have already arrested the deceased’s boyfriend Mr Wakukha and his two friends Mr Allan Wafula and Mr Timothy Masika, who are aiding in investigations. The suspects appeared at the Makadara law courts on Wednesday, but the police sought 14 days to complete their investigations before they are charged with murder.

    Boyfriend and a Mercedes Benz

    Detectives have established from CCTV footage that the boyfriend was the last person she was seen with according to their trail. On March 19 when Ms Jerop left her friends to meet the boyfriend, he picked her from her apartment in South B. Mr Wakukha was driving a Mercedez Benz. They left for unknown destination.

    Ms Jerop.

    She’s also captured at a pharmacy in Imara Daima buying what is assumed to be medicine.

    Strangely, the detectives have found that the boyfriend travelled to his rural home Bungoma on the very day March 19 using the very car he had picked her with and stayed there till 24th. To add more to the puzzle, he travelled back to Nairobi using public means leaving the Mercedes Benz behind.

    Upon his arrest and interrogation, Mr Wakukha led detectives to Bungoma where they recovered his vehicle, which is believed to have been used to ferry the body to the area near Jamhuri Primary School.

    According to Mr Jared Seko, the acting DCI boss Makadara, The Mercedez Benz had traces of blood all over. The blood samples were taken to the government chemist for a DNA test to establish if it matches with that of the deceased.

    Was she murdered by the boyfriend? How and why? Could there be more into it than is being told? Were there threats to her life before the murder? These are some of the questions that are leading the investigations as they continue to find the motive.

    NITA Saga

    Leaving nothing unturned, detectives have questioned and recorded statements from Ms Jerop’s colleagues at the National Industrial Training Authority (Nita).

    Tge authority has been riddled with graft allegations and the death of the accountant fueled more speculation.

    In an anonymous whistleblower letter tipping the ICC into Nita graft, the later claims that there are believable grounds that her death could’ve been a scheme to coverup the filthy situation in the body and that the detectives need to pursue the links.

    “NITA employees are sounding an alarm over the gruesome murder of one, June Kangogo (an accountant on Temporary terms of service [TE]) who was a conduit of siphoning public resources at NITA. It’s highly suspected without any iota of doubt that Ms. Kangogo’s death is linked to black-money menace which has dominated the public discourse of dealing with NITA. Her death might be part a cover-up because of the most recent arrests by EACC and report on Citizen TV.” Reads part of the letter seen by Kenya Insights.

    The letter alleges a wide-scale of financial fraud and unethical accounting and procurement practices involved a criminal conspiracy of the following:
    o Stephen Ogenga –Director General
    o James Nyang’au – Accountant
    o Thomas Nakitare – Accountant
    o Timothy Nalianya Chetegei– Accountant : TE
    o Allan Matete – Accountant : TE (Quit his job under
    mysterious circumstances ) and,
    o The late June Kangogo – Accountant : TE

    “This group devised a scheme of creative accounting, manipulation, trickery and deceit to net for themselves huge amounts of taxpayers’ money.

    To unravel the fraud and unethical accounting practices at NITA, the letter draws attention to certain areas for and investigations.

    It lists, Homecare Management and associated Accredited Trainers, Procurement fraud through Hot-air Supplies, High-Value and obscene imprest advances to June Kangogo that were surrendered fictitiously. The letter also mentions that Mr Jesse Wakukha, the accused boyfriend also transacted with the authority, “Investigate companies associated with Jesse Wakuha in relation to hot- air supplies and God-speed processing of his payments in Finance department.” The letter reads.

    The letter also alleges that the Accounting Officer/Director General in connivance with the listed accountants promoted an intense regime which injured the financial interests of the Authority through illegal financial activities, criminal misappropriation of public funds, and criminal breach of trust. Another claim is that these accountants’ lifestyles were astonishingly above their pay-grades.

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://kenyainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ANONYMOUS-TIPPING-ABOUT-NITA.pdf”]

     

    You can read more on Nita scandal from our previous article ‘State Capture At NITA, Abuse Of Office By DG And Theft Of Public Resources’

  • Group Threatens Court Action Over Likoni Floating Bridge Project

    Group Threatens Court Action Over Likoni Floating Bridge Project

    A Mombasa based lobby group is threatening to move to court and then stage major demonstrations in Mombasa over the Likoni floating bridge.

The project done by the immediate former regime was estimated to have cost Sh1.9 billion to complete.

    The project was done by the China Road and Bridge Corporation Company which is among the 13 companies that were blacklisted by WorldBank.

    In 2009, China Roads and Bridge Corporation was barred for eight years, China state corporation and China Wu Yi were barred for six years, currently constructing Moi international Road, China Geo-engineering corporation was barred for five years, but currently constructing Mwache Dam in Kwale.
    It is part of the reasons the lobby group now wants to seek legal redress, officials said.

    Among the issues local leaders and the lobby group are seeking to solve  include the isolation of youth-run and startup companies in the procurement process.

    Coast Human Rights Network officials said they will be enjoining Sakawa Agency Limited in suit to seek justice

    Michael Magak one of its key official said that some companies owned by Chinese are undermining Kenyans.

    “This is a serious matter. A local agency was awarded the tender which must be paid. We will use all means possible so that they get justice,” he said.

    According to legal notice number 2001 executive order by the president, youth owned companies, people with disabilities and women are not supposed to be victimized at the expense of the big companies.

    Also at the center of the tender awards is the refusal by Chinese owned companies to pay Kenyan companies subcontracted with them.

    Sakawa Agency Limited, a youth group that was subcontracted by the said Chinese company is already in court battling to be paid a sum of Sh29 million for terminating their contract.

    “We were among the several people and companies that were shown doors by the Lizipping project manager who colluded heavily with officials to frustrate us,” the group says. 

It has also been established that such Chinese companies win tenders through mischievous methods including bribing top procurement officers and senior executive officers from mother ministries.

    George Odidi, a consultant at the agency said they are at the losing end and now wants the government to intervene and help them in getting justice.

 “We have been struggling in court since 2020 upto now and no justice at all hence need for help,” he said.

  • RFH Healthcare, Four Other Private Hospitals Under Probe Over Multimillion NHIF Fraud

    RFH Healthcare, Four Other Private Hospitals Under Probe Over Multimillion NHIF Fraud

    RFH Healthcare is amongst the five healthcare providers that have allegedly been engaged in a multimillion National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) scam. This is according to a petition filled by an activist to the Meru County Assembly.

    Mr Salesio Thuranira has accused five private hospitals over claims of swindling elderly residents in the pretence of treating arthritis.

    He has named Afya Bora Hospital Annex, RFH Healthcare, Joy Nursing & Maternity, St Peters Hospital and Jekim Hospital based in Mwea, Nairobi and Meru, as institutions that should be probed.

    “The hospitals … are well coordinated in an illegal scheme of treating Meru residents aged 44 years and above, in the pretence of curing arthritis by surgery or unknown injections,” Mr Thuranira states in the petition.

    He claims that the that the hospitals have been working with a woman identified as Winfred Kathure who recruits patients before they are ferried to Nairobi for the alleged treatment.

    “Winfred goes around the villages and scouts for elderly people suffering from arthritis and holders of active NHIF cards. She lures them without the knowledge of their relatives to attend surgeries in the hospitals. For every client she convinces, she is paid Sh1,500,” the petition reads.

    Mr Thuranira claims that some patients were being admitted to hostels without proper amenities, where they get injections before being discharged.

    “Upon discharge, they usually receive a message from NHIF indicating that Sh300,000 has been deducted for surgery,” he states.

    In supposed of his allegations, the activist has listed six people in his petition that have supposedly fallen prey and swindled by the hospitals.

    He now wants the assembly to wants the assembly to summon the proprietors of the five hospitals to answer to the issues raised in the petition as it is a matter of public interest.

    RFH Healthcare owner Dr Maxwell Okoth.

    Meru Assembly Speaker Ayub Bundi, who read the petition to the members, directed the Health committee to investigate the allegations and table a report by May 31, 2023.

    National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) loses Sh10 billion every year through fraudulent claims.

    NHIF Chief Executive Officer Peter Kamunyo said the funds are lost through impersonation and fictitious claims by public and private hospitals thus denying millions of deserving Kenyans quality health care.

    The CEO said some hospitals present claims of major surgeries when a patient has undergone a minor procedure.

    Last year, the Ethics and Anticorruption Commission (EACC) renewed its efforts to deal with dozens of hospitals involved in corrupt deals touching on NHIF claims.

    In addition to that, the anti-graft body disclosed that it was investigating individuals who connived with the hospitals to defraud the fund of millions of shillings through fictitious claims.

    In the last couple of years, some private hospitals were in the limelight after it emerged that they had defrauded NHIF through fake medical claims.

  • Zimbabwe To Launch Investigations On The Gold Smuggling Rings After Al Jazeera Expose

    Zimbabwe To Launch Investigations On The Gold Smuggling Rings After Al Jazeera Expose

    The government of Zimbabwe says it will launch investigations into several people involved in gold smuggling and money laundering following the release of an undercover Al Jazeera investigation showing high-ranking officials involved in the illicit gold trade.

    Gold Mafia, a four-part series by the Al Jazeera Investigative Unit (I-Unit), shows among others one of Zimbabwe’s highest-ranking diplomats offering to launder large amounts of money through illegal gold smuggling.

    Only two parts have been released so far – with parts three and four releasing on April 6 and April 13, respectively – but the investigation has led to shocked responses in Zimbabwe.

    “Government takes the allegations raised in the documentary seriously, and has directed relevant organs to institute investigations into the issues raised therein,” the statement released on Tuesday read.

    “Any person found to have engaged in acts of corruption, fraud or any form of crime, will face the full wrath of the law.”

    The statement added that the government was dedicated to upholding national and international law, and that “boastful behaviour and name-dropping by some personalities featured in the documentary, seeking personal gain and glory, should never be taken as an enunciation of Government Policy”.

    Ambassador-at-large

    One of the gold smugglers shown in the investigation is Uebert Angel, Zimbabwe’s ambassador-at-large for Europe and the Americas and a self-proclaimed prophet who runs a church.

    Week in the Middle East

    In the film, Angel and his number two Rikki Doolan, also a pastor in Angel’s church, offered to launder the dirty money of Al Jazeera’s undercover reporters posing as Chinese criminals, using the ambassador’s diplomatic status. Angel and Doolan also claimed that Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa was aware of their scheme.

    The money would be flown into Zimbabwe on private planes and would then be used to buy gold, which would be flown out of Zimbabwe again.

    “You want gold, gold we can do it right now, we can make the call right now, and it’s done,” Angel told Al Jazeera’s reporters. “It will land in Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe can’t touch it too until I get to my house. So, there can be a diplomatic plan.”

    “So, it is a very, very easy thing,” he said.

    Pattni and Macmillan

    The investigation shows multiple different gangs using gold as their preferred method for laundering money, with three of them operating mainly from Zimbabwe.

    The process is as simple as it is cunning: Criminals from around the world with large volumes of unaccounted cash can give that money to the Zimbabwean government, directly or through smugglers.

    Zimbabwe needs dollars because the country’s currency has lost its value in international trade due to hyperinflation. A commodity like gold is a good way to earn dollars, but international sanctions imposed on the country make it difficult for the government to export gold because of the additional scrutiny on officials in power.

    One of the rival gangs is run by Kamlesh Pattni, a businessman who in the 1990s was accused of pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars belonging to the Kenyan exchequer through a gold smuggling scheme. Pattni was charged but never convicted, and Al Jazeera’s undercover operation shows that he is now involved in a similar scam in Zimbabwe.

    Pattni’s operation works by exporting Zimbabwean gold to Dubai and then laundering the money and the precious metal.

    Pattni’s biggest competitor is a gold smuggler named Ewan Macmillan, who also offered to help launder money for Al Jazeera’s reporters. Like Pattni, Macmillan uses a group of couriers to transport quintals of gold per week from Zimbabwe to Dubai.

    When the gold arrives in Dubai, it is sold to refineries, and the proceeds are banked for the money launderers. The refining process removes traces of the gold’s origin. Central to Macmillan’s operations is his business partner Alistair Mathias, who advises clients on how to cleanse their dirty cash.

    When asked about the findings of Al Jazeera’s investigations, Pattni said no allegation of criminal wrongdoing had been upheld against him in Kenya. He denied involvement in any kind of money laundering, as well as employing anyone to smuggle cash or offering to deal with funds he knew originated from illegal sources. He said when he met the Al Jazeera undercover team, he thought he was meeting an investor who wanted to sell a stake in hotel businesses and “to divest of a portfolio in China into gold buying and mining in Zimbabwe”.

    Pattni said he is not involved in the day-to-day operation of most of the companies he identified to Al Jazeera’s team and that he believed them all to be engaged in a legitimate business.

    Alistair Mathias denied that he designed mechanisms to launder money and said he had never laundered money or traded illegal gold. He told us he never had any working relationship with Ewan Macmillan.

    The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe told Al Jazeera that it takes the issues of money laundering and illicit trade very seriously and will not participate, directly or indirectly, in such activities.

    Rikki Doolan did not respond to Al Jazeera directly, but denied being involved in gold smuggling and money laundering in a videoposted on Twitter. Angel, Mnangagwa and Macmillan have not responded to Al Jazeera’s inquiries.

    SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

  • Of Ghost State Projects And Gobbled Up Millions

    Of Ghost State Projects And Gobbled Up Millions

    An expose done by Nation – Kenya’s stadium millionaires – has laid bare how top government officials including current Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industry Moses Kuria ended up profiteering from the unfulfilled promise by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his then deputy William Ruto who had vowed to construct upto nine stadiums while seeking re-election back into office for a second term in the 2017 elections.

    In the heart wrenching story, Nation uncovers how the top officials received hefty payment for not doing any substantial work on the projects if at all any with the majority of the facilities now slowly turning into white elephants and grazing fields in projects that were hoped would turn around the sporting sector in the country.

    Karatu Stadium, Kiambu County

    On January 5, 2017, Smith and Gold Productions Ltd was handed the site on which Karatu Stadium in Gatundu South constituency would be built.

    The firm had bagged a tender to construct a world class facility for Ksh 259,604,780.

    Records from the Business Registration Service (BRS) indicate that the firm, incorporated on July 16, 2013, is jointly owned by Emerging Capital Holdings Ltd (700 shares) and Aloise Kinyanjui Kuria (300 shares).

    Emerging Capital Holdings Ltd is fully owned by Mr Moses Kiarie Kuria, while Aloise Kinyanjui Kuria is the CS’s brother.

    The Nation reports Smith and Gold Productions Ltd had no previous record of building stadiums within specifications drawn by Sports Kenya, a department of the Ministry of Sports.

    Approximately 40 per cent of the funds had been released to Smith and Gold, but only 20 per cent of work was done.

    In 2020, the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Sports, Culture and Tourism noted that funds had dried up from the government side, but Smith & Gold had not done work equivalent to the Sh102 million it had already been released.

    Kamariny Stadium, Elgeyo Marakwet

    Funan Construction was hired to put up the Kamariny Stadium for Sh287,837,775.

    The company was founded by Daniel Gacheru Ndiang’ui, who died in 2015.

    He owned 900 shares at the time. His sons Peter Wambugu Gacheru, Joel Kaburi Gacheru and Daniel Ndiang’ui Gacheru each own 30 shares in Funan Construction.

    David and his sister Fiona Wacuka Gacheruwere in 2017 given authority to manage their father’s estate pending completion of the succession process.

    The company had received Sh81 million, or 28 per cent of the contract sum.

    Sports Kenya reported work done to be at 30 per cent, but the National Assembly committee held that the completion status may have been exaggerated.

    Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Uasin Gishu

    Weihai International Economic & Technical Cooperative Company Ltd (WIETC) was tasked with putting up the Kipchoge Keino Stadium for Sh304,204,413.

    The Chinese government-owned company had received Sh165 million, or 54 per cent of the contract sum.

    WIETC was the only company hired to put up stadiums that rejected the return-to-work framework deal and instead issued Sports Kenya with a notice of contract termination.

    The company cited breach of contract, through delay in funds disbursement, and oppressive terms in the return-to-work framework.

    Interestingly, the Chinese firm was the only one in the pool of stadium contractors that was not accused of inflating its completion status.

    WIETC had done approximately 60 per cent of the works despite receiving 54 per cent of the contract sum. After the Chinese firm’s exit, Golbo Construction Ltd won a tender to complete the works.

    Golbo Construction is expected to finish the project whose total cost was Sh138 million, but it stalled again.

    Kirubia Stadium, Tharaka Nithi County

    Toddy Civil Engineering, which belongs to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Board chairperson Anthony Mwaura, won a tender to put up Kirubia Stadium for Sh274,208,855.

    Mr Mwaura owns 45,000 shares in the company, while his wife Rose Njeri Ng’ang’a has 5,000 shares. The script is virtually the same as that in Gatundu South. After funds dried up, a return-to-work formula was signed in 2020.

    By this time, the firm had received Sh159 million and done approximately 70 per cent of the work.

    Strangely, it was only midway through construction that MPs discovered that land allocated to the project was not enough to encompass all sports disciplines as hoped by government.

    Wote Stadium, Makueni County

    In Wote, Makueni County, another set of politicians was contracted to put up a stadium for Sh299,309,554.

    Taphes & Nitram Enterprises was also to complete the project in eight months.

    BRS records show that Josphat Mwanzia Kasyoka owns 900 shares in the company. Mr Kasyoka unsuccessfully vied for the Kyeleni Ward Representative seat in the 2022 General Election.

    In February, 2021 then Sports CS Amina Mohamed fired Taphes & Nitram. She stated that the ministry did not believe in the firm’s capacity to deliver the project.

    Just like Mr Kuria’s firm, Taphes & Nitram had received nearly 40 per cent of the contract sum but only done approximately 20 per cent of the work.

    And just like Mr Kuria’s firm, there was no evidence to show that Taphes & Nitram had experience in stadium construction.

    The National Assembly committee found that Sports Kenya may have approved payment for incomplete work.

    Marsabit Stadium, Marsabit County

    In Marsabit County, there was hope that a new stadium would promote sports and revenue diversification in the country’s second biggest devolved unit.

    Sports Kenya hired Benisa Construction Ltd for the project for Sh295,236,215.

    At the time of the National Assembly report, the firm had received Sh125 million, or 42 per cent of the contract sum. While Sports Kenya claimed that 45 per cent of the work had been done, the committee that visited the site begged to differ.

    The committee held a similar opinion on most of the other stadium projects, an indication of possible collusion between Sports Kenya officials and private firms to inflate completion rates, in an attempt to fast-track payment for work not done.

    Benjamin is also the father to socialite Joan Kubai.

    Benisa Construction Ltd is owned by Benjamin Kubai Macharia (500 shares), his wife Isabella Wairimu Kubai (250 shares) and son Jadiel Macharia Kubai (250 shares). The company was incorporated on June 17, 2009.

  • Lawyer Tom Ngoe, Businessman Charged With Sh132M Gold Scam

    Lawyer Tom Ngoe, Businessman Charged With Sh132M Gold Scam

    An advocate of the High Court and a gold dealer were yesterday charged in a Nairobi court with defrauding an American businessman of Sh132 million in a fake gold deal.

    Lawyer Thomas Otieno Ngoe and businessman Nicholas Otieno Ndolo appeared before Milimani Senior

    Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul and denied three charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to defraud

    USD 1 million equivalent to Sh132,540,000 from American businessman Seth Adams Bernstein and forging of a East Africa Mineral Export permit.

    Advocate Ngoe and businessman Ndolo were to sell gold valued at Sh16 billion to the American businessman. It is said that the complainant had paid Sh132 million as customs fees for 3,000 kilograms of gold to be shipped from the country to Dubai.

    In the first court, Ngoe and Ndolo denied that on diverse dates between February 3 and 11, 2023, through Equity Bank Yaya Center Branch in Kilimani, Nairobi County jointly with others not before court, conspired to commit an felony namely obtaining money by false pretenses to wit USD 1 million the property of Bernstein.

    In the second count, the duo was charged that on February 11 at the same bank with intent to defraud, obtained from Bernstein USD 1 million which was wired to Ndolo’s Equity Bank account by falsely pretending that a firm known as DSI Mining and Minerals company limited was in a position to custom duties for 3,000 kilogrammes of gold to be shipped from Kenya to Dubai, a fact they knew to be false.

    Genuine permit

    Ndolo was alone charged that on May 16, 2022 at unknown place within the

    Republic of Kenya with intent to defraud, without lawful authority or excuse made a certain document namely Mineral Export Permit Number

    EAC/22/92709141705/2022 purporting it to be a genuine permit issued by East African Community Customs.

    Nicholas Otieno Ndolo and Thomas Otieno Ngoe appear before a Nairobi court on April 4, 2023.

    According to investigations conducted by the DCI detectives, the duo conspired to defraud an American citizen USD 1 million as down payment of part of the Shi6 billion deal. “That after formal introductions, they agreed that the complainant would buy 3,000kg of gold at USD 41,000 per kg totaling USD 123,000,000,” the investigating officer in the case told the court.

    After denying the charges, the two accused persons through their lawyers urged the court to grant them reasonable bail terms claiming they have been out on a cash bail of Sh500,000 before Kibera law courts where they had been arraigned last month pending investigations by the police.

    They asked the court to maintain the same bond terms since they are not at flight risk.

    The magistrate however ordered each of the accused persons to be released on a bond of Shi million or a cash bail of Sh500,000.

  • Shock Of Rabai Reaping Huge Profits From Kenyans While Producing Little Power

    Shock Of Rabai Reaping Huge Profits From Kenyans While Producing Little Power

    Senate committee probing the high cost of electricity was shocked to learn that Rabai Power, one of Kenya’s major Independent Power Producers (IPP), is reaping huge profits to the tune of Sh7.36 billion annually for producing only 90 megawatts of power. The Senate Energy Committee chaired by Nyeri lawmaker Wahome Wamatinga took the officials of Rabai to task why they are producing little power but reaping huge profits.

    This is after Rabai Power General manager Zablon Okwoku revealed that his facility had signed a contract with Kenya Power to generate power for 20 years with the contract ending in 2030. Okwoku noted that the power plant is powered by Heavy Fuel Oils (HFO), which is the component significantly spiking the cost of electricity paid by consumers.

    “The component taking the bulk of unit cost of kilowatt power is the fuel component. It is beyond the control of the generator. The cost takes into consideration the landing costs. The taxes take almost 45 per cent of the operations cost,” he said.

    Rabai Power plant officials were taken to task on whether they can reduce the cost of power generated for the sake of suffering Kenyans but they referred to the high taxes and high cost of fuel.

    Terms of costing

    “The charges for electricity in this country are very exorbitant. Can you convince us that you are fair in terms of costing as per agreement?” Danson Mungatana, Tana River Senator. Majority Whip Boni Khalwale (Kakamega) wondered why Rabai Power that enjoys 30 per cent of the market share and the annual figures at Sh7.36 billion are not willing to offer any remedy to the high cost of power.

    “In view of the high cost of power generated. If it is not profiteering, what mitigation measures have you put in place to reduce carbon emission and do you intend to exploit emerging producing power that uses renewable energy?” he posed.

    But Okwoku maintained that lowering the cost of production of power will only be dependent on lowering of fuel charge and other taxes by the government.

    “The biggest component of the cost is the fuel charge. This is beyond the generator. The taxes alone consume up to 45 per cent of cost,” he said.

    He noted that the contract between Rabai Power and Kenya Power will end in 2030, adding that once the term expires, the investors will then seek for extension or termination. “Our work was in constructing, testing and commissioning the facility. This is a property of KPLC. KPLC is paying for the facility by repaying the loan. Once the term expires, we shall transfer the facility to KPLC,” he said. He went on: “Among the thermal power plants in the country, Rabai is the most efficient, reliable, thermal plant in the country and is cheaper than most KenGen Thermal power plants.”

    According to Okwoku, the Rabai power plant runs on five engines on HFO, adding that they can generate some steam from five boilers up to about 6.5MW which he claimed now make them end up using less fuel and producing more.

    Local investor

    Asked whether the shareholders have any local investors, Okwoku said that the company shareholding included investments from Denmark, Japan, France and Germany. “Hon Chairman it is very difficult to know if there is any connection with any local investor. This is because when you check you find that the investor is from Denmark, Japan, France and Germany. If you go further, you find that the name of the company that made the investment is listed in the stock exchange of those countries,” Okwoku charged.

    William Kisang (Elgeyo Marakwet)  asked why fuel charges are paid in dollars and capacity charge is paid in Euros.

  • Exposed: Rogue KRA Officers At Mombasa Port Harassing Importers

    Exposed: Rogue KRA Officers At Mombasa Port Harassing Importers

    Clearing agents at the port of Mombasa have petitioned Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to crack the whip on senior officials. Joseph Tonui, the South region director of investigations and enforcement team led by Abdiakim Omar have been marked by the traders as rogue and a thorn in their flesh.

    The Kenya Freight Forwarders and Warehouse Association (KIFWA) claim the Investigation and Enforcement office has been causing unnecessary delays that are costly to their work. Tonui, the director is said to be eyeing the KRA Commissioner General post banking on his affiliation with the President being that they’re both from the same community.

    According to traders, Abdiakim Omar has been detaining containers to ostensibly conduct a personal verification which at times takes upto to two weeks. Surprisingly, he spares traders of Somali origin.

    KIFWA argues that the delays mean an extra Sh200,000 in storage charges, a cost that is passed to importers.

    “We have been incurring extra costs due to the detaining of our containers which have already been cleared by customs. One of the officers demands a bribe of Sh50,000 per container and failure to part with the cash, the container is detained for 15 days,” KIFWA committee member Emerton Mwakina said.

    Mwakina who is a General Manager of Imani Logistics says over 40 of KIFWA members have complained to KRA but no action has been taken.

    “We are appealing to KRA to consider overhauling the Investigation and Enforcement team. We have no problem with other offices. And as members we comply with tax obligations as required by law,” he said.

    KRA recently began a new policy of opening containers to compute taxes per item instead of per kilogram.

    This already importers said has led to increment of cost of cargo with KIFWA saying any delay in releasing containers means another extra charge for traders.

    Omar has been chest thumping to whoever cares to listen that he is untouchable and has made millions of shillings from the dirty deals which he has used of acquire residential properties in Utawala and Donholm areas of Embakasi.

    He was initially stationed in Eldoret but was recalled to KRA’s Upperhill office where the department of Investigations and Enforcement is domiciled following similar complaints.

    Former commissioner general Mburu Githii,  moved him to Mombasa where he has been harassing importers and clearing agents.

  • Why Pastor Ng’ang’a Is Selling His Hotel At Sh800M

    Why Pastor Ng’ang’a Is Selling His Hotel At Sh800M

    Pastor James Ng’ang’a is planning to sell his Newstead hotel located in Naivasha, Nakuru county for Ksh 800 million to cater for the launch of a new church in the United States.

    This decision came so as to enable the construction of his ministry and to enable him to be closer to his wife, Mercy Murugi who stays in South Carolina. Neno Evangelism founder pastor James Ng’ang’a needs an amount close to Ksh 600 million so as to expand his ministry in US.

    The evangelist has gone to the US several times to prepare for the launch of the new church. He desires to sell the property for Ksh. 800 million, though it will depend on the negotiations he will have with the buyer.

    A report from Daily Nation informs that pastor Ng’ang’a needs at least Ksh. 600 million. His mission with this church launch project is to save the souls of people in the US by spreading the gospel.

    Following Mercy Murugi’s recent birth in South Carolina, the controversial cleric revealed he is planning to move his family to the US. “My wife has been in America since she recently gave birth,” he said.

    From time to time, Pastor Ng’ang’a has been captured saying he’s rich and doesn’t need to collect offerings and tithes on several occasions been recorded on camera saying he’s rich and doesn’t need to collect offerings and tithes from churchgoers. He also disclosed that he created his wealth while still young and energetic. “You need to know one thing; I do not preach because of sadaka. Understand I am a rich preacher,” he said.

    Pastor James Ng’ang’a establishes the Neno evangelism centre in 1992 while serving as a preacher in Mombasa. He then left Mombasa for Nairobi to continue preaching and spreading the word of God.

    The 68-year-old cleric built his church in 2005 along Haile Selassie avenue next to Kenya Railways. It is allocated on a land that was acquired illegally according to the government agency. Ng’ang’a however claims to have gotten the land from the Central Bank of Kenya(CBK) when the owner failed to pay the loan he had obtained.

  • Toxicity: CCI Under Fire Over Staff Harassment Claims

    Toxicity: CCI Under Fire Over Staff Harassment Claims

    Toxic work cultures have been the centre of discussion among young people joining the labour market in the country. Over the past few weeks, allegations of sexual misconduct, bullying, overworked employees and general abuse have been meted upon Call Centre International Kenya.

    Call Center International Kenya is a leading customer service outsourcing company. They have come under fire as current and former employees expose the toxic work environment and the toxic leadership they have endured at the workplace.

    According to allegations from both male and female employees, sexual harassment is rampant in the company. Some employees claim that promotions are not based on merit but on who has had relations with senior managers. Employees have also revealed that their employer does not provide security when they leave work late, risking their safety.
    Furthermore, employees claim that they work a 10-hour night shift which is against labour laws in Kenya. An employee at CCI Kenya explained that within the 10-hour shift, they have a 1-hour break, 30 minutes for lunch and another 30 minutes, divided into two 15-minute and 15-minute breaks. This leaves them only 8 hours to complete their work duties, which can be overwhelming and exhausting.

    Employees also alleged that they are overworked and not paid overtime, violating labour laws. Staff also accuse the company of providing poor working conditions, with some employees claiming they are forced to work under very uncomfortable conditions.

    Our sources at the company painted a toxic work culture, including employees working while sick. Notably, WhatsApp messages showed supervisors and managers do not allow employees to stay home when sick.
    In a WhatsApp conversation, a manager threatened to have a junior staff member fired if they did not personally drop off their sick sheet, which a doctor signed.

    A current employee of CCI Kenya shared their experience with workplace bullying and mistreatment. The employee stated that although they were not a victim of sexual harassment, they had experienced bullying and threats by their supervisor, who would allegedly force them to work overtime and fire people who didn’t meet her expectations.

    When asked why they chose to come forward now, the employee mentioned that seeing others speak out about their experiences gave them the confidence to do the same.

    Another employee stated that the management was aware of the bullying and sexual harassment allegations made by employees; the interviewee noted that the management was not only aware but were also the ones responsible for such actions. The power hierarchy made it difficult for employees to report such incidents as they feared being fired. While the employee didn’t have any proof of sexual harassment, they mentioned that it was an open secret that people were made to work even during riots and were criticised for their performance by a senior manager.

    According to another employee who currently works at CCI Kenya, the management has yet to make any efforts to change the toxic work environment even after Kenyans on social media advocated for better work culture. “Nothing has been done even after all this has been made public. The management is burying its head under the sand and pretending everything is okay.”

    Our sources also intimated that the management had tried to coerce people into taking overtime but had not implemented any measures to help employees.

    When asked if they felt safe at work and feared being targeted for speaking out, current employees expressed fear of a senior manager called Leah Musuya, whom they described as an authoritarian and bully. The employees stated that they fear her because of how vicious she is.

    COTU secretary general Francis Atwoli was also on the receiving end when the allegations of harassment and bullying were made public, with Kenyans criticising the trade union for slacking on such matters. The government has also been urged to take action against Call Center International Kenya, with some calling for the company to be fined or shut down if the allegations are true. The government has yet to comment on the matter.

    The allegations made by Call Center International Kenya employees highlight the ongoing problem of workplace harassment and toxic work environments in Kenya. Many workers in the country face similar issues, with few avenues for recourse or support.

    Companies must take allegations of harassment and misconduct seriously to create safe and healthy work environments. The Kenyan government has also been challenged to take a stronger stance against workplace harassment and ensure that labour laws are enforced to protect workers’ rights.

    As the outcry against Call Center International Kenya continues, it remains to be seen what action will be taken to hold the company accountable. The employees who have come forward with their stories have vowed to continue to fight for their rights and a better workplace.