Businesswoman Mary Wambui Implicated in Sh5 Billion Digital Super-Highway Scandal

A high-stakes scandal involving Kenya’s Sh5 billion Digital Super-Highway project has ensnared prominent businesswoman and former Communications Authority (CA) board chairperson Mary Wambui Mungai, casting a harsh spotlight on alleged state capture and conflicts of interest within President William Ruto’s administration.

At the heart of the controversy is Wambui’s company, Nightingale Enterprises Limited, which secured lucrative contracts to lay fibre optic cables under the government’s flagship digital connectivity initiative.

Investigations reveal that Wambui transferred her shares in Nightingale to her daughter, Evelyn Nyambura Mungai, shortly before the tender awards—a move critics decry as a bid to sidestep conflict-of-interest allegations during her tenure at the CA, which oversees the ICT sector.

Systemic Favoritism and Legal Controversy

The Digital Super-Highway, touted as pivotal to Ruto’s “digital economy” vision, aims to expand Kenya’s fibre optic network by 100,000 kilometres.

However, procurement documents show Nightingale Enterprises—70% owned by Wambui’s daughter—was among three firms awarded contracts by the ICT Authority, a body under the same ministry as the CA.

A legal opinion by Solicitor General Shadrack Mose, mandating the CA to honor payments to Nightingale despite the ethical cloud, has intensified public outrage.

Stephen Mutoro, Secretary General of the Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK), condemned the move: “The rot is deep. This mirrors past scandals like the NYS looting, where influential individuals exploit state projects for personal gain.”

Kenya Kwanza’s “Tenderpreneur” Web

The scandal extends beyond Wambui.

Investigations have revealed a pattern of Kenya Kwanza allies and appointees clinching state contracts for instance:

– Belgut MP Nelson Koech, chair of Parliament’s Defence Committee, saw his wife’s firm, Shovels N Trowels, awarded a Sh1.2 billion contract to repair sections of Mombasa Road damaged by the Nairobi Expressway.

– Former KRA Chairman Anthony Mwaura’s company, Toddy Civil Engineering, bid unsuccessfully for the fibre optic tender but has a history of securing county government contracts.

While public procurement laws do not explicitly bar officials’ relatives from bidding, the practice fuels perceptions of insider influence.

Notably, President Ruto had vowed to dismantle such “tenderpreneur” networks but have yet to act on their pledge to probe state capture.

Wambui’s Controversial Track Record

Nightingale Enterprises, incorporated in 2012, has repeatedly landed government deals under successive administrations:

– In 2018, it controversially won a Parliamentary Service Commission tender to furnish Parliament Towers amid allegations of forged documents.

– During COVID-19, Wambui’s Purma Holdings secured Sh120 million in KEMSA contracts for PPE and facemasks.

Wambui and her daughter were also implicated in a 2021 tax evasion case, later withdrawn amid claims of political witch-hunts during the Uhuru-Ruto feud.

Despite approving a Conflict of Interest Bill in February 2023, the Kenya Kwanza government faces mounting criticism for ignoring its anti-corruption rhetoric.

Transparency advocates warn that the Digital Super-Highway risks becoming another NYS-style scandal, eroding faith in Ruto’s governance. “This isn’t just about corruption—it’s about a systemic betrayal of the public’s hope for reform,” Mutoro asserted.