EACC Investigating 27 Firms Including One Linked To Joho Over The 900-Acre Railways Land Allocation

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has launched investigations after about 900 Acres of land in Machakos County was allocated to a long list of private firms.

The land which is located in Athi River  was supposed to be used  to supplement the capacity of the Inland Container Depot. Kenya Railways took over the land from the East Africa Portland Company after it made huge losses due to mismanagement and political interference.

The process used to lease the land to the firms for 45 years is suspect after reports emerged there was no transparency in how they were chosen.

EACC is now investing the process which was used by KRC to choose the list of 27 firms including one linked to the Mombasa county Governor Hassan Joho. The KRC 10-member board have since been summoned to integrity centre.

Autoport Freight Terminal Ltd which was allocated 50 acres is closely linked to Joho, During his public spat with President Uhuru Kenyatta leading up to the 2017 polls, the logistics company was a major casualty, with the taxman suspending its operating licence.

Another company is Grain Bulk Handlers Ltd (GBHL) and Buzeki Enterprises whose director is Uasin Gishu politician and businessman Kiprop Bundotich. The company received 50 acres.

Some other notable companies include Prime Bridge Group Ltd, Aya Traders Company Ltd, Company Freight Systems Ltd and MIT Logistics Ltd which were allocated 40 acres each.

There are claims some firms were exempted from any fee because they pumped tens of millions to build a state-of-the-art logistics facility.