Author: Kenya West

Forbes Magazine, estimated the net-worth of Vimal Shah’s father, Bhimji Depar Shah, then aged 82, together with Vimal Shah, then aged 55, and Vimal’s younger brother Tarun Shah, at US$700 million, making them the 33rd wealthiest individual or group in Africa in 2014. Vimal was then at the top of his game being one of the richest Kenyans with a positive image of the company. With time trouble came knocking.

Before the advent of social media, many people with questionable characters used to do PR all over media making Kenyans believe that they were angels.

But the advent of social media has debunked all this, holding corporates responsible for their ills since the Kenyan media can’t expose some of these ills because some of these corporates are their clients.

For instance the Safaricom Cheza games Saga that the Kenya Insights Team wrote about a few months ago trended on social media with Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore refunding Billions. What shocked many kenyans was the silence from the media poseurs who decided to give the Multibillion Saga a deaf ear yet the role of media is to educate Kenyans and report on all these matters of public interest.

Social Media is a force the reckon with and what we are witnessing is ” Digital Disrupt ” that is killing the old media like a cancerous infection.

The truth is that as media hides or struggles to protect their favorites, social media and vocal blogs are taking charge, controlling the narrative and replacing the old media. It has now become a norm for the media to break stories blogger broke many years ago.

A Classic Study case of the Social Media Impact can be traced to Bidco Africa, the edible oils industry whose embattled CEO Vimal Shah has been forced to resign due to many scandals and negative social media publicity that has hurt the Companie’s bottom line.

Bidco Oil Refineries chief executive officer Vimal Shah is a man under siege and has always been accused of economic sabotage as well as human rights abuse. To show how bad things were in his tenure as CEO, he once had to pull out of a prestigious London Investment Conference after one of the delegates whispered to him that protestors were planning to demonstrate against him over his poor human rights record.

Sources say he took the first flight back to Nairobi to avoid being embarrassed. The demos went on as planned despite his absence with demonstrators carrying placards as they shouted “down with Vimal Shah” and “Stop Bidco” as conference participants arrived at Claridge’s, the 5-star London hotel where the conference took place.

This prompted the conference’s organizers to drop his name from the list of the main speakers. One of his senior staff who had accompanied him was at pains to explain his absence at the conference.

Vimal is a well-known shrewd businessman who has been involved in a number of scams. Another demo was also held in Nairobi along City Hall Way. Motorists were blocked as demonstrators bayed for the tycoon’s blood. One placard read, Vimal, a Wife Snatcher.

Vimal is accused of being a slave driver. His firms underpay poor farmers, exploit those he has employed and suppliers and allegedly evades taxes running into billions of shillings.

KRA has been demanding Sh702 million tax. The taxes have accumulated to Sh1.3 billion with at one time KRA threatening to attach bank accounts and properties. This was also subject to social media campaigns, and the office of the Kenyan Ombudsman once wrote a Letter to KRA Demanding an explanation from Njirahini on why Bidco had not paid arrears.

Poor working conditions are also the order of the day at Bidco. The workplace is full of danger. Bidco staff have been suffering for years over poor working conditions and sick pay as well as the firm’s poor safety record. Staff says employees are fired at will and without following laid down procedures, and those who demand better pay or good working conditions are intimidated and threatened with summary dismissal. A worker once died in a Bidco store and court ordered Vimal to pay the Vimal one million Shillings leading to many questions from Kenyans who wondered how human life could be that cheap.

Bidco workers describe Vimal as a heartless person. Money to National Hospital Insurance Fund and National Social Security Fund is not remitted as prescribed; it is claimed. To complicate matters, workers are paid on a contract basis.

The hygiene standards of Bidco products are being questioned as to whether they meet the standards required. Workers who have had accidents at their workplace are not compensated.

A woman working at the boilers is said to have received severe burns, but the family’s efforts to get compensated has hit a snag. At one time, Shah is said to have chased her parents from his office calling them stupid poor Africans.

He is accused of using abuses on Africans. Due to his low opinion to Africans, Bidco has budgeted and allocated less to social responsibilities. As a result, there is now a move to boycott the company’s products. Staff members do not enjoy education scholarships for their children.

The clinic at the factory is poorly manned and is only for first aid. Christians are not allowed to pray and fellowship during lunch times as it happens in other places as this is banned. If found violating the rule, one is summarily dismissed.

Sexual harassment by Indian managers is the order of the day. To compound and complicate matters, even those fully employed are not covered by insurance. To Vimal, he is close to the powers that be, and nobody can dare stop his operations and oppressions.

United Nations were probing all these Scandals as Bidco risks being kicked out of the United Nations Global Compact. Parliament is also probing Bidco over human rights abuses, Grabbing of land in Uganda and tax evasion now estimated to be 7 Billion Shillings.

In a bid to save the family empire from falling, a decision was made by the family to have the businessman step aside as his tainted reputation blew huge curses to the BIDCO dynasty. Thiagarajan Ramamurthy takes over from Vimal Shah as Bidco Africa CEO.

Kenya has been worse hit by cyber crime attacks in the recent time, regionally, the country is ranked top putting financial institutions at a high risk. Being a new phenomenon and companies adapting to new technological changes, massive security loopholes has given the sophisticated internet criminals to phish and lead into severe losses. The worst part is the judicial system in the country is yet to adopt to new changes entirely, and lack of comprehensive investigations has seen a less than 3% prosecutions of cyber crimes. In short, they’re easily getting away with it.

Recently, a major crackdown whether real or staged was laid and a ring of these criminals involved in the desktops robbery arrested over KRA hacking and making away with Sh4B in which the case is still ongoing. This isn’t an isolated incident, according to a report by Serianu’s Cybersecurity Report 2016, African countries lost at least $2 billion in cyber attacks in 2016 with Kenya leading in East Africa losing $175M.

Being a global problem like terrorism, the international community is jumping in to help contain the situation. Sources intimate to Cyber Crimes revealed to Kenya Insights about a recent visit to the country by FBI’s Deputy Director Andrew G. McCabe doing a follow up and stamping the US government support on the crisis by offering technical training and facilitation to Kenya’s cyber crime unit on dealing with the mess.

In recent years, the technology landscape in Kenya has seen tremendous growth. From strategic options to the creation of new opportunities for innovation in products and services, technology is now incorporated in many if not all aspects of business. Mobile and Internet usage has also seen a continued increase, especially within the local SMEs.

However, as more businesses digitize their business processes and move to the internet, the potential attack vectors for these organizations expand. The past year was a particularly tough period for local agencies on cyber security. The number of threats and data breaches increased with clear evidence that homegrown cyber criminals are becoming more skilled and targeted.

The estimated cost of cyber-crime in Kenya has soared to $175 million. This cost continues to rise as many organizations automate their processes. This is particularly the case for banking and other financial services sectors where the introduction of mobile and e-services has introduced new weaknesses that have allowed the loss of money through these channels.

Mobile money in Kenya has experienced numerous attacks through social engineering, use of malware and account personifications. As one of the alternative channels for most banks, hackers are now exploiting the weak security controls around the mobile money platform to steal millions.

Malware targeting critical mobile and internet banking infrastructure are on the rise. The results of Serianu’s internal traffic analysis revealed that there are numerous forms of malware on internal systems which include: Trojans such as Dridex and Zeus malware. Attackers are using this malware to compromise and access sensitive information on the network. Unfortunately, statistics remain vague as organizations are reluctant to reveal the extent to which they have been targeted by attackers.

The insider threat is still the largest contributor to direct losses in cybercrime in Kenya. Insider threats refer to fraud involving information or employee abuse of IT systems and information, in the case of KRA it is suspected that an employee granted access into their system for manipulation by the gang from inside.

E-commerce platforms hit with more online scams, ATM card skimming, and Identity Theft as integrations with Electronic Payments and financial institutions increase. At the same time, electronic banking and cashless initiatives have been introduced into the country. This has resulted in unintended consequences ranging from online scams, ATM card skimming, and identity theft.

Increase in IoT threats – due to their insecure implementation and configuration, these Internet-connected embedded devices, including CCTVs and nanny cams, Smart TVs, DVRs, Smart routers, and printers, are routinely hacked and used as weapons in cyber-attacks. Technical training of employees is insufficient. The increase in the number of homegrown cyber criminals in Kenya is not because attackers are more talented, it’s because they are more creative, patient, single-minded and they explore limitless pathways. Kenyan organizations are not leveraging their own creative, curious analysts. Technical teams are not empowered with tools.

Low levels of security awareness. Most organizations don’t budget for advocacy and training programs for their staff. This was been proven by the numerous breaches seen in the period under review alone attributed to compromised employees. Most training is conducted after a security incident has occurred as opposed to prior.

Security professionals are struggling to demonstrate business value to senior management because they are providing very technical operational metrics whereas business managers are looking for more business-oriented metrics. Lack of practical regulatory guidance from industry regulators and government leads to poorly implemented and unenforceable security controls since they are not local focused and instead are copied and pasted regulations. Only 3% of reported cyber-crimes are successfully prosecuted. Inadequate training and awareness amongst the law enforcement and judiciary fraternity make prosecution of these cases impossible.

According to the Kenya Cyber Security Report, the challenges faced by the country and in essence African countries present significant business opportunities for entrepreneurs, researchers and vendors. To stay ahead of the threat curve, there’s a need to continually invest in research, build local cyber threat management infrastructure and enhance our ability to anticipate, detect, respond and contain information security threats. In the current state, we are unable to build these capabilities.

Kenyan entrepreneurs need to step up, work together to develop and provide information security services that address these challenges. Kenyan entrepreneurs and researchers should leverage their local presence and understanding of the environment to provide a clear indication of the security problems on the ground. This local presence combined with partnerships with global players will provide globally tested solutions and approaches to address identity security loopholes.

Kenyans have been treated to endless bickering by the President and the Mombasa governor over unclear issues for the past months. Many theories have come up with eyes pointing at the political and personal rivalry between the two kings in their perspectives.

The public onslaught of the two leaders has become habitual. The fighting has seen Joho a fierce critic of the President faced with endless legal implications and scrutiny on his businesses. When it all started, Joho’s family owned freight companies that employ close to a thousand people were shut down by KRA in a move quickly read as intimidation and hands of the mighty.

It has emerged that the indignation of the two goes back to the SGR project. Joho was against the Vision 2030 plans to shift the building of a dry port in Voi to Naivasha in the Rift Valley an idea that President Uhuru was for. The governor is quoted saying, “The President wants to make locals poorer as the relocation of the port will deny local youths jobs. I have no apologies over my stand. Those who want to burst can burst.” Mombasa port employs thousands of the young people.

Named as Phase 2A, the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway line to the Geothermal town of Naivasha was launched by President Uhuru on September 2015. This new line will be undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) at a cost of Ksh.105B

The real gist of the rivalry was over control of resources. Joho and other freight companies felt threatened that the dry port in Naivasha would pass through them out of business. Kenyatta, on the other hand, is allegedly having a personal interest in having the port constructed in the geothermal power nerve of Naivasha. According to intelligence by the late Jacob Juma who never made mistakes in his words, the Kenyatta family had acquired the 22,000 acres of the expansive land from Delamere where the port is to be built. This would give them a chance to expand their extended empire.

These exact sentiments were echoed by Joho’s rival, Senator Omar who is quoted saying “I personally know the troubles between the President and Joho. That is why I have been silent all this time. It was not a political fallout, it was a business fallout from the free port, the National Youth Service and a few other issues that were not honored,” on KTN News on Thursday, April 6.

Inland ports are collection points for the main port. The main exports from the Naivasha area are horticulture, floriculture and of course soda ash. Fruits, vegetables significant and flowers are exported by air mainly due to their delicacy so that a container yard won’t help much. Magadi gap already has a railway line connected directly to the Mombasa port and they use that line to date. In a nutshell, many have argued that building an inland port in Naivasha is futile, leave alone the environmental impact it’s gonna have on flamingos and wildlife.

A good number have also proposed that the port would’ve been appropriately situated in Malaba. Arguing that with the costly SGR in place, an inland port in Malaba will reduce road traffic between malaba and Naivasha for trucks destined in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC or South Sudan. Secondly, road transit has been a major loophole in tax evasion on imports. With inland ports being set up at border points, that will play a major role in sealing this loophole which will increase revenue collection.

Healthcare in Kenya seem to be a trouble magnet, coming from the Sh.5.3B MoH theft to doctors striking, the list of problems continues to pile. Kenya Insights has learned of a disastrous scandal that is only a matter of time before the bubble bursts. In 2015, the President launched a program that would see medical equipment leased to the public hospitals across the country. Even though the move was opposed by the governors citing procurement flaws.

The machines were leased to county governments by the national government under Managed Equipment Service (MES) Programme in a 38B health-care plan.
The governors also said they preferred the equipment be bought rather than leasing as it would cut costs by a quarter. Under the program, at least two hospitals in each of the 47 counties would receive the machines.

Two Level 5 and Level 4 hospitals in each of the 47 counties will be equipped with theatre equipment, Theatre support services, Kidney Dialysis Equipment, ICU equipment and X-ray equipment.
Also, four National Referral Hospitals, Kenyatta, Moi Teaching, National Spinal Injury Hospital and Mathari would also benefit from the project.

This means the supplier installs, operates, maintains and replaces the machine if necessary. The companies would also pay the operators.
The Government had already signed contracts with five multinational corporations for the supply, installation, operation and maintenance of the equipment.

Mindray Bio-medical of China would supply the theatre equipment, Esteem of India the devices equipment and consumables for theatres, Belico SRL of Italy the dialysis machines, Philips of The Netherlands the Intensive Care Units, and General Electric of the US the radiology machines. The transformation of the healthcare sector through inter-hospital telemedicine within radiology departments – a project that has been implemented in Kenya by GE Healthcare and Seven Seas Technologies Group.

Seven Seas is owned by Mike Macharia one of the few billionaires in Kenya who made their fortunes under a short time. He’s a brother to Transport CS James Macharia a post he took after being in the health docket. Insiders tell Kenya Insights he has a significant role in influencing supply tender to his brother. The CS is not a stranger to corruption scandals as he’s in the middle of Afya House scam over influencing tenders.

These equipment are leased for ten years even though it would make economic sense if they were bought once off as some governors argued. However, that’s not the main issue, a good number of the equipment are lying idle in the hospitals either because of lack of sufficient electricity supply as in the case of cancer machines which is now under Auditor General scrutiny or lack of qualified personnel. Here we have modern technology equipment supplied to hospitals without any intensive training to the staff on the operation. They’re just there for the face value after all, whether functional or not, the supplier is guaranteed of his share.

The government has supplied this equipment without specialists, so you have a cancer machine somewhere in Turkana without an oncologist most of whom are based in Nairobi. Ideally, hiring more professionals would be part of the program of this is to get any effective. Otherwise, Kenya is spending billions on projects that are not helpful. Patients still stream to referral hospitals for tests that can be done at County middle-level hospitals. A talk with many doctors across the country reveals the ugly truth that these equipment are accumulating dust at the expense of the taxpayer. When will we ever have sustainable health policies?

Ahmednasir in an 8-page statement to the police detailed a grand plot hatched by the director of criminal investigations Muhoro to eliminate him. The lawyer made public his death threats after being tipped by an informant who was in the strategic meeting of assassinating him.

In the statement, Grandmullah elaborates how Muhoro constituted a team of 5 lethal hit squad with a Mr. Kamu mentioned as one to take him out. The assassination was planned to happen last month however after tracking his phone; the killers discovered that he was out of the country. He insists, being out of the country saved his life.

Ahmednasir attributes his death threats and killing scheme by Muhoro over the Sh.8B valued Tatu City. There have been wrangles within the real estate project where the majority shareholder Stephen Jennings has accused co-shareholders who owns minority states, Former CBK Governor Nahashon Nyagah and BIDCO’s Vimal Shah of conspiring to transfer shares fraudulently and in line steal the Tatu City project from him. Ahmednasir represents Tatu City in the endless court cases.

Ahmednasir exposed Muhoro as being party to the fraud scheme in what perhaps rubbed the DCI boss the wrong way. According to the lawyer, Muhoro was bribed with Sh.50M and promised 300 acres of Tatu City land should be successfully executed frustrations of investigations, and eventually Nyagah and company get away with the land theft. Ahmednasir accuses the DCI boss of having an insatiable appetite for land in his statement, “Muhoro has a death squad that has killed many innocent Kenyans over land and will keep killing more over land. Muhoro’s greed for land is limitless and will go to any length to get it.”

Explaining Muhoro’s role in the Tatu City land theft, the lawyer says his pivotal role was to interfere with proper investigations with the end game of jacking the project from Jennings the major shareholder and investor in the game-changing real estate project. Muhoro he says had a role in ensuring no criminal prosecution is meted out on the land fraudsters and giving them police protection. He says Muhoro also has a role in intimidating the real Tatu City owners through malicious investigations and open threats.

Ahmed insists that Muhoro in intimidating move began an investigation into his pupilage a case that was lost on a court’s injunction. It is after this that the lawyer says things went for the worst. “Muhoro having lost the case and further having lost the land that he was given and promised by the fraudsters in the Tatu City, told his five-member hit squad that I was an obstacle that I must be removed on his part to realise the land that he was given by the fraudsters.” Ahmednasir claim the problem on land under Muhoro is bigger, “Muhoro has a death squad in CID. He has killed many innocent Kenyans over land and will continue killing more. Many of the unexplained killings under his tenure were done at express instructions of Muhoro. He enjoys impunity and kills when his interest is at stake.”

“On April 3, a senior officer in the Directorate of Criminal Investigations called me and asked that I meet him very urgently. I met him, and what he told me shocked and alarmed me, he further informed me that one of the officers is called a Mr. Kamau; that these five officers are well known within the DCI and are trusted by Muhoro to carry out killings on his behalf.” Ahmednasir alleged in the statement seen by Kenya Insights.

Coincidentally, blogger Cyprian Nyakundi who’s also entangled in the Tatu City troubles and has a defamation case alongside Ahmednasir and Stephen Jennings filed by Nyagah and Vimal, received death threats in what looks like a coordinated effort. Nyakundi has been vocal in highlighting the Tatu City squabbles online a case that has put him in hot waters.

During his last arrest of the many, while being held at Central Police, Nyakundi was given a surprise visit at around 2 am which is unusual by unidentified men he suspects to be CIDs. It is unclear how they were given permission to access him at the cells during such times. Nyakundi was bundled into a solitary space and issued with threats, “they warned me against speaking ever again on BIDCO, Vimal and Tatu City and promised deer consequences should I despise the warnings and continue writing about the same subjects. ” The blogger told Kenya Insights.

The blogger has in the past complained of being trailed by unknown persons during the peak of Tatu City wrangles. Death plot on Ahmed coincides with Nyakundi’s threats. Though I’m bloggers case, it is unclear who sent the men to issue the threats, but the pattern is not a rocket science to see the common factor.

The ugly incident that happened in Migori on Monday when the Suna MP Junet Mohammed was launching his re-election bid, has sparked several conspiracies as to the real motives behind the shooting that left the Mombasa’s governor driver with a gun wound to his leg.

The shooting was triggered by the area’s governor Obado guards when he stormed the venue with a group of countless goons to disrupt the rally which was attended by amongst them his arch rival Ochilo Ayako. It is believed that the event would be used to endorse Ayacko and this is what irked the governor according to theorists.

The party ODM and CID have launched investigation into the incident that left many injured. Joho has described the incident as an assassination attempt on his life claiming the bullet that fell on his bodyguard was meant for him. His car was also hit with bullet to where he normally sits.

The video captures the terrifying moments.

One of the most dangerous gangs in the country operates in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area. The gang, commonly known as Super Power, is almost entirely made up of young boys. Together with Gaza of Kayole and 40 Brothers based in East-lands, the Police have ranked them the top three most dangerous criminal gangs in the country in 2016.Over the years, the Super Power has committed numerous criminal activities ranging from murder, mugging, pickpocketing, and violent robbery – often stabbing their victims.

Its members roam the busy streets of Eastleigh. They mainly operate at night, although they have been known to “work” during the day sometimes.Two months ago, Abdi Aimoi Mohamed came to Nairobi to further his education but met his death in the hands of Super Power gang soon after his arrival. Aimoi was stabbed severally, turning him into a statistic among the rising number of the gang’s victims.The gang often targets mobile phones, cash, and jewelry, and spares those who yield to their demands. Sometimes, how-ever, “they just stab their victims even after they get want they want… we don’t understand why,” said a police officer who declined to be named because he is not al-lowed to speak for the Police.

Family factor

Starting a few years ago, most members of the gang are said to be young children; many deported from US, UK, and other Western countries for crimes committed there. Because they wanted to continue the kind of lifestyles they had been used to abroad, many come together to form the gang to get the cash they needed. This is made worse by the fact that rehabilitation programs for misdemeanor crimes are almost absent in Kenya, which made it easy for the youth to form and join the gang.Not all of the “boys” are deported, how-ever; some of its members are those sent back by their parents to participate in the famous dhaqan celis – rehabilitation communes meant to make them reconnect with their culture. Whenever they are sent back, their passports are often confiscated to ensure they don’t travel back, thereby leaving them prone to joining gangs. The irony is that every time they are arrested for the crimes they commit, it is their parents who come to their rescue by bailing them out of jail or paying their fines. “None of them has ever faced jail time.

These children have money because their parents are wealthy. Once you arrest them, they are quickly bailed out,” a resident confided. It also explains why they feel invincible – the system cannot hold them. Super Power is said to have been initially backed by businessmen in Eastleigh, for protection from and intimidation of rival merchants, and to eliminate competition. These soon dissociated themselves with the outfit when the gang morphed into a quasi-terrorist group. With increasing terror attacks, and as security agencies sought to establish rumored (financial) links between businessmen and terrorists, communication was cut off between the facilitators and the gang, leaving them to their own devices. Broke and desperate, members organized themselves into the gang we know today. In the course of my inquiries, I was directed to a businessman in Eastleigh who, however, declined to meet with me when he learned what I wanted. In my search to meet and speak with members of the gang, I met Mohamed, who asked to be identified only by his first name. He is in his early 20s, currently a taxi driver.

Mohamed says he is now “reformed”; he left the gang a year ago. He agrees to take me to his former “operation centre” and introduce me to his former mates. At 8 p.m., at the furthest end of the one of the streets in Eastleigh, we knocked on a metallic door. A boy, who appeared to be in his late teen years, opened the door. He recognized Mohamed, and he ushered us in. Inside, we met four other teens, including girls, inhaling from a shisha pot. After a long pause, during which they must have judged that we meant no harm, they welcomed Mohamed and me to join them. However, things almost went violent after that.

Hushed muttering between Mohamed and one of the boys, who I later learned was their leader, turned into a heated exchange and very nearly degenerated to blows when it became apparent that I was a journalist. But after a passionate stating of his case and assurances that I only sought information, they all relaxed. Jamal, the leader, then gave me a tour of the house, which consisted of a single bed, several mattresses, littered with used cigarette butt and wilting leaves of khat. Beneath the beds were two pangas and several knives. “This is what we use,” Jamal said simply. He is 23, Jamal said. He has a scar on his chin. He hails from southern Somalia, and knows only a few Swahili word. He said he is in Nairobi waiting to go to Europe. He will cross through the Mediterranean Sea. “This is just a temporary way of earning a living as I wait to travel,” he said nonchalantly of his “job” as if he were describing a game of cards.

He commands twelve “soldiers”, two of them female. Often, they operate at night and sleep during the day. I asked why they are not working tonight and he says, “not all of us go”. Only half, or a slightly less number, will go to the streets to look for “something” at a time. “Those who went out will be with us early morning to bring what they have “managed to get” to be shared by all members. Phones are usually stored somewhere before they are “offloaded”, while cash and other valuables, like watches, are distributed among members. Some money is set aside to purchase khat and shisha, which are used by everyone in the group.

I asked Jamal to let me spend the night with them; he agreed. They have installed Wi-Fi and, during my stay, everyone, including me, was either on the phone or by the pot of shisha. At one point, when the smoke became too much for me, I asked and was granted permission to step out for fresh air. I have never been more relieved to be outside in the middle of the night. By six in the morning, no one had slept.

At 6.25 there was a knock on the door. Everyone but me recognized the entrant and immediately went back to what they were doing. An hour later, another knock and eight tired-looking boys joined us. They set about displaying their loot – phones, and cash. Sharing was done simply and without questions. How do they manage with the police on patrol all over? Jamal said the police are their “friends”, and that when they are cooperative with the law enforcers, they let them carry on their business without trouble.

“There is one police officer,” I started after a pause, “his name is Ahmed Rashid. He is often praised for dealing ruthlessly with the gang. How do you evade him?” “He is more dangerous and expensive than the rest,” Jamal says. “He shoots at the slightest provocation or if you defy his orders. If he arrests you, your family will have to part with a lot of money to get you out.” Jamal says Ahmed has physically assaulted him countless times. “He is ruthless. Sometimes he will arrest anyone he feels looks like a Super Power member even if they are not. He only releases someone when he gets paid.” According to Eastleigh residents, Super Power allegedly enjoys police protection.

This was evident when over 1.7 kilos of gold were stolen last year from a shopping mall in Eastleigh. Flying Squad detectives established that among the nine people involved in the robbery were police officers. When undertaking “high profile” robberies, Jamal said, the gang always alerts the police, who help them get the job done for a cut. High profile jobs include robbing malls and shops. The number of such robberies has been growing in the past year. Jamal says there is no formal agreement between the gang and the security forces. Sometimes they seem to be “cooperative” but can suddenly turn and arrest you. Cases of disappearances or killings are not unusual. At around 7:30 p.m. on July 12, pictures of what appeared to be minors lying on the ground began doing the rounds on social media.

The duo was alleged to be member of Super Power gang. Witness said the two were trailed by police and were, at some point, challenged to stop. They began running instead prompting the officers to shoot them. One died instantly and the other an hour later. It is alleged that the officers stood by the injured teen and watched him bleed to death. In most instances, parents’ claim they did not know that their children were engaged in criminal activity and that they f and such information from the police at a time when the child is either in a cell/jail or dead. Police often display “evidence” like phones and knife to show prove the guilt of the apprehended/dead teen. One woman narrated to me of how she woke up day to discover that her son had been killed for attempted robbery.

In killing I mentioned at the beginning of this story, Abdirahman Suheib was among those suspected of murdering Aimoi. Abdirahman’s family learned through social media that he had been arrested. He later died in unclear circumstances. His cousin, Ahmed, said Abdirahman spoke to his parents on the phone to inform them that four of his co-suspected had been released, and pleaded with them to pay to have him released. When he called the next day, he complained of high fever, fatigue, and loss of muscle control, symptoms the family associated with poising. His parents went to see him at once but were told their son’s body was in the mortuary. Devoted Muslims, his parents rejected a post-mortem analysis to determine the cause of his death. Now it will never be known.

This story originally appeared on Nairobi Law Monthly Magazine 

Just as we had published in our previous article on the alleged KRA hacking that supposedly led to the loss of 4B, more truths and lies continue to unravel with latest coming from the horse’s mouth. Alex Mutuku has broken the silence by trying to bring sanity to the buzzing media coverage. Through his brother who is currently running his Facebook account, the suspected hacker revealed a perfect plan hatched by unnamed influential figures that framed him in the hacking fiasco.

The adolescent Kenyan media already prosecuted and convicted the young man in public court by using his lavish Facebook posts as a justification for his involvement in hacking. We have a media lazy to do research that’s why we have scammers as Simple Homes using same media to fleece Kenyans. A media that has created illusory billionaires, who’ll spot you drinking expensive wine and driving a used Range Rover and report you like a billionaire without questioning whether it’s yours or borrowed.

In a rejoinder, Mutuku downplays this saying the posts don’t reflect his real net worth. He starts off be reflecting on the suicide attempt he made after being dumped by his girlfriend. “My life was darkest in 2015, and after that, I decided nothing will ever take me back to that dark time. Not anyone. Not even this and indeed the media twisting facts. Hence my phrase ‘Nothing can stop me; I’m all the way up…’ I’m sure most of you are familiar with the lyrics. I’m always smiling. Even now, I have learned to love myself. And trust me, I’ve never loved myself more than I do now.” He said.

He continues, “now, since 2015 I’ve never taken time off. I struggled with a lot of things but eventually overcame all. So, 2017 is here and what do I do? I decided one of my new year’s resolution is a trip to East and Southern Africa and one international trip. I buy my international ticket and embark on the East African trip. From city to city. On bus. No flying- too expensive – and I document everything on my FB timeline. By the time, I get to Tz, I’ve spent 73k, already broke and the deadline to register as a voter is quickly approaching. I decided to come back. Now, it has all been twisted as ‘living large.’ Wow. But I understand people have to make a living- in this case selling more copies.”

He goes ahead to make a clarification and reveal how he was possibly baited and framed by the KRA looting racket. “By March I have ticked two resolutions for this year. I get back; I’m arrested. Why? KRA has lost 4B. Not a million but billion. When they told me that, I laughed. I laugh even now. I’m not stupid. Clearly, I’m the patsy. These large Cajun as at KRA looted the cash and then in a smoke-filled room, smoking their Cuban – forgive my imagination, it probably was an office- decided this.” He slams at the players behind his arrest. Sincerely, if you had 4B out of the blues I’m sure Tanzania won’t be on the first to do list but for me, a cruise in private yacht, rent out an entire island somewhere in Seychelles and amount spent wouldn’t be felt, boss I have 4B to spend. Pesa Otas.

He further preempts how he was nailed, mimicking “Oh, this Alex boy just went on a trip and stupidly plastered it all over FB. What’s more, he has a similar case. Perfect! Go get him.” “Anyone with half a brain can figure that out. Four billion doesn’t just disappear like that without anyone noticing- for years. Even slowly.” He stamps. At this point, it’s clear he was framed, but he doesn’t make it clear why of all the people he was picked. The possible reason behind this is perhaps at one point he might have had engagement with either of the players or his history with cyber antics gave a leeway to perfectly frame him.

Alex in his confession insists he doesn’t have the quoted 4B. ” I DO NOT have 4B or any part of 4B. In fact, my life’s savings are not even remotely close to one billion, let alone four!” He reiterates. As to whether he had a working relationship with anyone at KRA who could have facilitated the laptop to be connected to vital servers to siphon the cash, he vehemently denies, “I have NEVER worked at KRA nor do I know anyone who works there. If I did, then I do not believe I’d have queued all those hours renewing my license or transferring my bike ownership. Those queues are just life draining.”

“I believe this is a test and just like every storm, it will pass, and I will emerge victoriously. The truth never stays hidden. All will be revealed in due time. God’s time is the best. For now, I’ll keep smiling and praying.” He says.

His bail ruling is scheduled for Monday, 28th and he stands high chances being granted. As usual, you can bet the lazy investigating officers don’t have tangible evidence. Alex suspects he would be slapped with a hefty cash bail beyond his ability and now asking for good wishers to help him raise the bail. While this could be a genuine plea, it can as well be a hoodwink engineered message to paint a poor man picture. It is only the law that can fully exonerate him, unfortunately.

Lastly, he doesn’t sign off without a word, “here is my advice. Let no one steal your joy. Live your life to the fullest as I do. I learned the hard way that life is a precious gift from God and every moment should be treasured. That’s why I will never stop smiling. No matter what. Peace.” He concludes.

Kenyan media has grown into a lethal hit squad in the league of professional hitmen as the CIA or locally the flying squad. The alleged KRA hacking story first appeared on the Daily Nation that is rapidly losing relevance and credibility from consistent false reporting induced by brown envelope journalism. When it first came out, without touching names, the media insinuated that Raila and Jimmy Wanjigi were running the lethal cyber crime unit with intentions of raising campaign money for the general elections. In the poorly scripted propaganda, A Mr. Ogalo was named given his last name to be in close working relations with Raila to hack the IEBC system. You must have heard of the alleged attempts to hack the system.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that it is Ogalo who exposed the Jubilee’s IEBC hacking in a viral video that was aired on Jicho Pevu, this video was also used as evidence during the Supreme Court petition by CORD. The IEBC hacking script has since disappeared perhaps someone realized it wasn’t holding waters. It must also be remembered just after the story of hacking broke on the Daily Nation, the notorious 36bloggers did a follow up with hashtag castigating and blaming the opposition for being behind the ‘hacking’ and in an unsurprising coordinated move, leader of the majority and a certified bark dog Duale was on record accusing the opposition of hatching a plot to hack the IEBC system and again unsurprisingly the IEBC Chairman affirmed that there was an attempt to breach the system from unknown hackers. That’s how much they take Kenyans for a ride.

Kenya has a breed of an inordinate number of lazy bum journalists who don’t bother to counter check on anything before then and will report on spade as a big spoon. They’ve taken up the hacking story with baby hands and not doing any in-depth check. This is mostly deliberate to satisfy the script of the engineers. There’s a major KRA heist that’s untold and someone powerful busy covering up a Sh4B theft with a forced hacking story. When you read around, and with basic IT knowledge, you’d be ashamed at Kenya’s media at their level of mediocracy and ineptitude.

They make hacking a sophisticated system as that of KRA like a walk in the sand. Alex Mutuku is decoy planted to sway public opinion and shift focus from the real thieves of KRA, and I will explain. There’s no possible way even in wildest dreams that one can hack and steal money directly from the system. KRA doesn’t keep a cent in their system; every single payment is made directly to their respective Central Bank account.

On March 1, 2014, the Kenya Revenue Authority switched the country’s tax system from manual to a new electronic platform — iTax. The taxman had his eyes trained on income tax, corporation tax, VAT, withholding tax and other domestic levies that it believed were prone to non-compliance due to the previous manual system of filling returns. iTax was meant to improve the existing Integrated Tax Management System (ITMS) that was blamed by users for being inefficient. The program was aimed at improving compliance and eliminating cases of tax evasion.

Perhaps the biggest difference between ITMS and iTax is that under the latter, rogue agents, who had been blamed for fleecing taxpayers and the taxman alike, would be eliminated. However, this would not be the case. Tata Consulting, a firm with Indian origin, was awarded the tender to install and maintain the iTax system and here’s where the real deal lays.

Even though not proven, any lapse in the system is to be blamed on Tata, and if there are any investigations them, it must start at Tata if there are genuine intentions to find the bottom truth. A likely possibility that Tata as custodians of the system deliberately poked a loophole created a backdoor leeway to allow notorious Asian businessmen evade taxation which is the probable way money was stolen. The investigations need to start at Tata and not ‘watu wa mkono’ as Mutuku who don’t even have superior hacking skills. Any professional in IT would laugh off their lungs out at the existing script.

If at all Alex Mutuku was any genuine and serious hacker then he wouldn’t have exposed himself on the social media, most of the hackers maintain a low public life online. Kenya Insights has learned from friends that the fellas have a history of psychological distress and his online activities were out frustrations and a long history of self-gratification. In 2014, Mutuku was dumped by his girlfriend after which he attempted to commit suicide. Ever since, he’s been putting up an illusory lifestyle of wealth online with intentions of getting back at the gone girlfriend, normal man trying to get his gone heat jealous, yet to get over his girlfriend.

Records also indicate that he manipulated the Safaricom credit cards which were a pure guess work from his colleague’s confession and the NIC Bank ‘hacking’ the first class honors commerce graduate is a typical street genius who is expert in everything. We gather that he rides on fake profiles meted on him as he’s mostly the insulator in major scams. His dislike for the government is obvious, a reason that allowed the government’s operatives to link him to the opposition.

In a nutshell, if we’re to get the real thieves and the real story then we must start at Tata Consulting. Money probably lost to the tax evasion unit, and now a cover up mission is ensuing. The money pumped to unnamed powerful figures. Companies like Vimal Sha’s Bidco owes KRA up to Sh.6B in arrears, and that’s just a top of the iceberg. A recent survey puts $1.5B as annual amount lost to tax evasion through conspiracy. Let’s not hide behind minions in the game as Mutuku who has been perfectly crucified in the public court and go for the real players. It is easy to fake a lifestyle online, the justification that lazy media is using to justify Mutuku as a multi heist hacker. This is simply a young boy, A conduit of great thieves. Kenya Insights is on the trail, and more will follow on this story, one of the biggest conspiracies to hide a major heist.

Doctors are back to work after a 100 days strike that caused one of the biggest health freezes in the country in recent history. The doctors called off the strike after striking a deal with the government that included pay increase and the promise of CBA implementation scheduled in two months.

The deal was sealed after signing RTWF with Central Gov and Governors. The agreement guaranteed that the doctors had to be paid in full amounts salaries for the three months period that the strike was on and that none of the doctors and union officials would be victimized in any way also that all disciplinary actions against any of striking doctors had to be dropped.

However, in a sharp twist, the Council of Governors has disowned the agreement that they agreed to by refusing to pay doctors for the 100 days that they were on strike. This in plain terms is against bad game rules as the RTWF still binds, and nothing can reverse the decision to pay the doctors. The step filled with impunity can easily be read as a go to hell move to the doctors and an ill motive to push doctors back to the streets. CoG and Government must not return Kenyans steps back by dishonoring the RTWF with the doctors. We’ve established that some union officials are now being targeted and victimized through work overload. One example here is Dr. Thuranira getting multiple allotments.

In a quick rejoinder to the disastrous step, KMPDU has issued a warning notice to the ministry of health to ensure full implementation of the RTWF and pay the doctors money owed failure to which a stern action will be taken. The possible move being that can be speculated is downing the tools. Making two steps forward and four backward best describes the developments. A lot of misinformed moves.

Talking of misinformation, Kenya government procured 500 doctors from Uganda to help fill the gap in Kenya’s public healthcare. While it beats logic that Tanzania a country with one of the worst doctor to patients ratio could allow such an expensive brain drain, Kenya itself has like 1400 unemployed doctors. One wonders why we would go out shopping while we have many of our own that we could use.

Kenya Insights has obtained information that there’s a wider conspiracy by the private hospitals to procure foreign doctors at a lower cost since Kenyan doctors are quoting big money. Step by CS Mailu, himself a darling of the private sector and former Nairobi Hospital CEO, is seen as part of the conspiracy. The target of the Tanzania doctors is private hospital for the simple reason of cheap labor. They will pass through public hospitals as an orientation to be later absorbed by private hospitals. Cartels represented by Mailu.

The private sector has embarked on a massive expansion in recent times and wants as many workforces at the cheapest cost possible. Nairobi Hospital is constructing a huge hospital in Kiambu -next to Kiambu mall, Machakos, and expansion of their Upper Hill one.

Langata Splash has been converted to a large hospital by Indian- sources hint that he’s fronting for Arap Singh. Centum planning chains of hospitals, same to Equity. They want malleable staff!

This site has Covered Fraud at Barclays Bank Kenya not once but severally. Despite this Coverage, Barclays Bank and Fraud are synonymous, with things remaining the same.

At a time the Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge is being probed for Fraud in the NYS Saga, the Kenyan Banking Industry thrives on Fraud because the Governor himself doesn’t want to crack the whip, he is part of the system.

Take a Look at the NYS Saga, How was the More than 10 Billion Saga possible yet we have the Central Bank of Kenya, where the addition of Zeroes was done, It is alleged.

From the Chase Bank Collapse to the Imperial Bank Saga, Kenya has had more than 25 Bank Failures, but not even one person has been Jailed. The Kenyan Media MUST stop their PR obsession with Governor Njoroge who has done nothing meaningful.

The National Treasury has written to Barclays Bank over a 700 Million Tax they Owe KRA. Despite Getting a 50% Waiver, Jeremy Awori the Barclays Bank Boss has refused to pay the Loan.

Kenyans work hard to pay Taxes yet big institutions like Barclays are dodging the system with no consequences. What a Joke seriously?

We now Urge Barclays to Pay the Loan and Avoid Aibu Ndogo Ndogo . We have attached the Letter Hereunder

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As the Chief Editor of this site pens down this article, He MUST confirm that things have been thick as Kenya’s Biggest Telcom- Safaricom.

It looks like Vodafone is worried about the many cases of Fraud and Impunity within Kenya’s Jagganult- Safaricom. Sometimes in February, Vodafone and Serious Fraud Officials Raided Safaricom house to check many things among them rising fraud cases within the Company and the healthy of the company.

Vodafone is seriously worried about all these bad things about Safaricom, where they hold a 40% Stake. The Serious Fraud Office Officials also visited the DCIO Headquarters to inquire about many accusations of illegal tapping of calls by Safaricom and aiding in disappearances of various Individuals. Safaricom has been mentioned in many reports the latest being the Privacy International Report that has thrown shade into Safaricom’s Role in aiding enforced disappearances and murder.

A source from CID headquarters confirmed the Visit by Serious Fraud Office Officials who are also following up on the Safaricom Fraud cases that are all over including a Popular Case where a Safaricom manager a Mr. Mjomba was arraigned in court for stealing phones worth 69 Million Shillings. It is Feared Mjomba was not acting alone since it is a cartel comprising of senior Safaricom managers.

Bob Collymore has been ordered by Vodafone and Serious Fraud Office to explain and clear all Pending Matters that have put the telco under the Spotlight. That includes all Intimidation Cases Bob Collymore has taken to court to silence critics.

For the Last Two weeks, Bob Collymore has been Begging Njeru of Transcend Media to drop some case he had reported to Vodafone and the police, but things are not working out very well.

Many Letters have been written to Vodafone, from People who lost unfairly in Safaricom Single Sourced Tenders to Bloggers Like Nyakundi who have been sued and Bullied by Safaricom, the Tranche of Letters to the Mother Company has been worrying.

Bob Collymore, who seems to be out of touch with reality is a man under siege. The reality is that he has lost all the love from Vodafone, that will not renew his contract, the editor of this site can authoritatively confirm.

Bob Collymore, A UK citizen, risks jail term over fraud under the UK Laws. Those who read the Safaricom KPMG Report can attest to the Rot in Safaricom where the words like Single sourced appear on every page.

On Thursday around midday, blogger Cyprian Nyakundi was going about with his normal shopping at Uchumi Hyper and just when he got back into his car, he was blocked and surrounded by mysterious men who were to This direct as flying squad members of the dreaded Alpha One Group. He was briefly held at the parking lot by the three officers who had refused to identify themselves and posed themselves as thugs to further their agenda.

He was questioned on how he makes his money, his sponsors and they were especially concerned how in his young age he could afford to have an expensive car and living a healthy life without a formal job. The officers came armed with background information on his transactions, They questioned his shopping history which quickly tells they’ve been spying on his spending probably from his bank statements which obviously they got illegally from his bank.

The most surprising part is, from his house to the supermarket is less than 20 minutes, and the men managed to get at him under that short time. A simple analogy would point at a possibility that the officers pitched camp around his house and waited for him to step out then trailed his car to the supermarket. He was released after the men made calls to their boss. This was an intimidation mission; they only wanted to send him a message that he can’t hide from the system, They know where you stay, what you eat, where you shop and whom you associate with. How could all this be possible? Simple, They’ve been spying on his phone and his bank transactions, and this is done without any court warrant. This was a coordination of NIS, Safaricom who provided the Intel to the Flying Squad whose mission is largely targeted elimination.

A new report by Privacy International exposes how the government is illegally spying on Kenyans with utmost ease. The investigation focuses on the techniques, tools, and culture of Kenyan police and intelligence agencies’ communications surveillance practices. It focuses primarily on the use of monitoring for counterterrorism operations. It contrasts the fiction and reality of how communications content and data is intercepted and how communications data is fed into the cycle of arrests, torture, and disappearances.

Communications surveillance is being carried out by Kenyan state actors, essentially without oversight, outside of the procedures required by Kenyan laws. Intercepted communications content and data are used to facilitate gross human rights abuses, to spy on, profile, locate, track – and ultimately arrest, torture, kill or disappear suspects, as this report documents. The Kenyan constitution guarantees freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and the right to a fair trial as fundamental rights.

These abuses have marred Kenya’s counterterrorism operations and further eroded Kenyans’ already weak trust in the agencies responsible for protecting them. This investigation also explores the potential impact of unaccountable communications surveillance on the upcoming 2017 election cycle. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) regularly shares information with police agencies, some of whom have been engaged in gross human rights abuses, according to multiple independent media, civil society, and Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR) investigations. The NIS appears to have direct access to communication networks across Kenya.

This direct access means that the network operator itself has little to no knowledge of the interception of communications occurring on its network, and therefore no real ability to check these powers or report the potentially abusive use of communications surveillance powers. The role of the Communications Authority in facilitating direct access in Kenya requires more scrutiny. All responses to Privacy International’s requests for comment are included in the text. Particularly in an election year, there is a pressing need to begin to reform the practice of communications surveillance, preventing a future threat of greater abuse.

Telecommunications operators end up handing over their customers’ data because they largely feel that they cannot decline agencies’ requests, in part due to the vagueness of the law and accompany telecommunication industry regulations. Several telecommunications operators spoke of the threat, either direct or implicit that their licenses would be revoked if they failed to comply.

One internet service provider recalled the difference between his experiences with the police and with the NIS: “A [police] agency comes to me, and they give me the Occurrence Book (OB) number of the case they are investigating…. The NIS has unfettered access to data.” The NIS simply contacted this operator for the data it required. “They will say ‘give us [data for] whenever X calls Y over this period’, for example…In instances involving terrorism, no warrants are produced. We have to comply, or there is the threat that our licenses [will] be revoked.” A Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) officer confirmed his account: “they’ll get their license revoked [if they do not comply]… If I were them, I’d comply too”.

The NIS is also passively connected to Kenya’s telecommunications backbone. NIS agents analyze and listen to live calls at NIS offices both regionally and in Nairobi, as described by two NIS sources and confirmed by a CA officer. Sources described how NIS-owned BTSes directly access Kenya’s telecommunications backbone. Sources confirmed their presence in operationally significant areas, such as Mandera on the border with Somalia and Mombasa, on Kenya’s coast. Mobile phone numbers of interest will be ‘flagged’ such that they notify the NIS system when they are engaged in a call. “Once we get a red light on this particular person,” stated one NIS agent, “we try checking the contents of his conversation. If it’s trash, we just discard it. If it’s something of interest, we make a move and follow it up.” This enables agents to selectively listen in to and record conversations described two NIS officers. Analysis centers in Nairobi include one office in the Westlands neighborhood, proximate to Safaricom, as well as at the NIS headquarters off Thika road. Targets are reportedly unaware of the operation, according to several former NIS officers.

The major telecommunications providers have at least one law enforcement liaison, a police officer of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) on secondment. This analysis focuses on Safaricom, by far Kenya’s most popular mobile service provider with over 60% of the market share. At Safaricom, around ten CID officers sit on one floor of the Safaricom central bloc. They provide information to all police branches. Safaricom also has civilian investigators who sit within the Ethics and Compliance Department45 of Safaricom. These investigators’ primary responsibilities are to follow up fraud and misuse allegations on behalf of Safaricom and to assist their law enforcement colleagues in cases in which criminal action may have occurred.

Through an interface, Safaricom officers can query a database that collects information from Safaricom’s call data records, SIM registration, mobile money, and subscriber registration databases. Law enforcement liaison officers are separately able to input requests into a query queue; the interface will render data according to the priority/time it was submitted, according to police investigators and Safaricom staff. Standard call data records list the phone numbers of the initiating and receiving devices, the location of the base transceiver station (BTS), the type of communication (whether a call or SMS), and the duration of the call. Safaricom stated to PI that “only authorized Safaricom staff to have access to systems and tools that can access confidential customer information and this access is controlled and monitored.”

The NIS currently have devices that allow an agent of the small NIS technical unit to geolocate a target through his/her mobile phone. The system appears to consist of a handheld device, roughly the size of a large mobile phone that communicates through an interface operated by analysts at NIS’ headquarters off Thika road, according to one NIS officer and an expert. This NIS interface is linked to a database which contains live BTS location data and call data records.

Several sources also described that the NIS have a device contained in a vehicle which appears to function like an IMSI catcher.53 An IMSI catcher is phone monitoring equipment that is able to intercept communications “off-the-air” of surrounding devices actively. An IMSI Catcher performs interception by presenting itself as a base station amongst the mobile network: the station that your phone connects to when it wants to place a call or send a message. The IMSI Catcher mimics a base station by entering the network as the most powerful base station available, meaning that all mobile phones operating within the same area connect to the IMSI Catcher’s base station. Once connected to the IMSI Catcher’s base station, the Catcher has the mobile phone provide its IMSI and IMEI data. Once these details have been gathered it becomes possible to monitor the operation of the phone: the voice calls taking place, the messages being sent and the location of the Phone.

Read the full report below;

[pdf-embedder url=”https://kenyainsights.com/file/inc/2017/03/track_capture_final.pdf”]