Category: Investigations

Analysis: Why Nobody In Kenya Dares Touch Safaricom

President Uhuru Kenyatta presents Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore (left) with an award

Why Safaricom is Kenya’s Untouchable

This is the second issue of our eight parts investigative series on Safaricom. On its May issue, edition, the Nairobi Law monthly ran with the title ‘Why Safaricom is Kenya’s Untouchable’. No truer words have been spoken on Kenya’s ongoing mass brainwash by a foreign company and closely tied group of Kenyan elite. Safaricom has since sued writers of NLM for defamation. Nation Media Group have also had their adverts contracts with Safaricom terminated when they went ahead to highlight the KPMG audit report that unearthed multi million heist within the teleco.

Safaricom is today the highest tax payer, makes $380 million dollars in profit and employs 5000 Kenyans. Mpesa is a cash cow for Kenya’s political architects. The mobile money unit rakes in 30% of the company’s revenue, 41 billion in 2016, a figure that has gone up consistently over 9 years.

But, behind the veils of Safaricom’s shareholder structure, lies powerful political and corporate vested interest. Their intention is to perpetuate the dance and charade, while siphoning off profits for their fat pockets. Watu wamekuwa wajanjez!

Kenya’s Corruption 2.0 is nothing like the yester years of the Moi Era. Today, corruption is all about well positioned publicly listed companies to milk Kenyans of every coin.

Half of every transaction fee on your Mpesa transactions goes abroad to Vodafone PLC UK. 5% of airtime commissions via Mpesa also go to Vodafone as part of a license agreement. 40% of all profits made by Safaricom go to Vodafone UK Plc as shareholder of 40% of Safaricom’s shares. We, the public only get to own 25%, while the Government of Kenya holds 35% via Treasury.

2 weeks ago, Safaricom announced a special dividend, worth 28 billion. Close to half will be repatriated to the UK’s British Vodafone. The timing of this ‘special dividend’ is suspect, with Kenya’s upcoming elections.

Over and top of profits, there are royalties owed to Vodafone. Vodafone collects annual fees for the contractual licensed use of Mpesa. Vodafone Sales and Services Ltd (VSSL) owns the intellectual property to Mpesa.

“As the inventor of the globally acclaimed mobile money payments service, Vodafone is entitled to licence fees from Safaricom, calculated as a fraction of M-Pesa’s annual turnover. Vodafone Sales and Services Ltd (VSSL) owns proprietary rights to the M-Pesa platform and earns service fees accrued from the use of the mobile money transfer solution.” Business Daily

The terms of the contract stipulate quarterly payments as royalties annually amounting to between 11% – 25% of all Mpesa revenues. So now Kenya and all the services in Kenya that rely on Mpesa tied to a perpetual license owned by Vodafone. The country’s crucial infrastructure – SACCOs, Micro finance institution, Banking, Utility payments, Taxi service, Lipa na Mpesa and the KRA are tied to a licensed product.

This contract is a sham, just like the much-hyped Homecoming of Mpesa Servers from Germany back to Kenya. This was another masquerade to the country into believing there was a fair exchange. The plot was to shift the servers to a new G2 Platform as a guise for siphoning money via the Chinese, and restructure Mpesa intellectual property under new terms. Documents show Agreements were made by Safaricom and G2 Platform supplier under the VPC (Vodafone Procurement Company) 3rd party, a Chinese company Huawei was roped in to facilitate syphoning 30 billion into shell accounts in Luxembourg. (Source: Nairobi Monthly Magazine June edition.)

Needless to say, the timing of these events just before elections is suspect.

Friends in High Places

Not many people are aware of the strong link between Safaricom, Mpesa and State House. It’s a circle of regulators and Kenya’s top elites designed to shield the cash cow from interference. The cow must be milked!

Together, they pull strings to entrench the green brand that has now become culture. A conspiracy at high government levels took all the powers of the Communications Authority. Virtually, every regulator has been secured in Safaricom’s back pocket – the Competitions Authority of Kenya, the Central Bank of Kenya and the ICT Ministry.

Effectively, no institution in Kenya has the teeth or commitment to rope in Safaricom’s excessive sway in Kenya.

The roots of Safaricom are deep rooted in the political figures of the 90s. Ex-President Moi, Nicholas Biwott and unknown associates were linked to owning 12.5% of Safaricom via the infamous Mobitelea.
“Its [Mobitelea] owners include politicians from the former government who may have used their influence to facilitate Vodafone’s original $20m investment in Safaricom in 2000. At that stage, Kenya’s regime had become a byword for corruption, with politicians amassing vast wealth.”

Today, the mantle has been passed on to their ilk. The children continue to eat and the dance is kept on.

Like, Ex-Safaricom executive Waita, a learned lawyer who rose through the ranks of Safaricom. He is now firmly set at State House as Deputy State House Chief of staff and head of Public Service. This broad mandate puts him in charge of the President’s Delivery Unit, Office of Budget Management, Performance Contracting and Oversight Office and State Corporations Oversight Office.

President Kenyatta, Nzioka Waita and Bob Collymore promoting an Mpesa product.

Until recently, Mshwari, a mobile lending facility, was the only product allowed on Safaricom’s Mpesa Menu. Commercial Bank of Africa accounts went up from 34,884 in 2011 to 10 million accounts. M-shwari single-handedly propelled the bank from a mid-tier bank in 2013, to a Tier 1 bank all through billions of mobile loan sharking via Mpesa. Yesterday, CBA expanded into Uganda to offer MoKash, a Ugandan version of Mshwari. CBA has the same product in Tanzania with Vodafone.

Now, what most people do not know is that Commercial Bank of Africa is partly owned by the Kenyatta family and close associates. It has reaped enormous benefits from the success of Mpesa and Safaricom. President Kenyatta’s former lawyer Desterio Oyatsi is at the helm of the board as chairman. The president’s younger brother, Muhoho is the Deputy Chairman of Commercial Bank of Africa.

With all these powerful people with ties to Safaricom, no wonder it is untouchable.

Back in London, Vodafone executives are happy cheer on the show.

August 30, 2016
Extrajudicial Killings Continues, CID Officers Follows To The Hospital A Man They Thought To Have Killed Pumps 17 Bullets To Him In Mwingi

The slain Ngandi Malia Musyemi

Just when you thought extrajudicial killings by the police would cease with the brutal murder of lawyer Willie Kimani who was killed alongside his client and the taxi driver, more terror continue to be unleashed by the same force.

A 27-year-old deceased man identified as Ngandi Malia Musyemi was being treated of gunshot wounds sustained earlier on Wednesday night at around 8 pm when the officers reportedly followed him to the hospital and finished him off at 3 am.

Two police officers have since been arrested in this respect. One of the officers is reported to have laid wait outside as his colleague accomplished the mission, sending panic at the hospital where other patients were admitted.

“The deceased had earlier recounted to police how he was hijacked at Majengo area in Kitui, blindfolded and taken to a thicket at Sosoma junction where he was shot in the head and left ribs,” a senior police officer said of the incident that occurred off the Mwingi-Garissa Highway.

An investigation has since shown that it is the two police officers who had hijacked him earlier and shot him, leaving him in a critical condition before he was assisted to hospital by passers-by, according to police.

“He is accused of being a robber and was under investigation for some murder cases, including a police officer’s child,” a detective said, but could not confirm if the child belonged to any of the two officers arrested or if there was any conspiracy to have the suspect killed.

Ngandi Musyemi, 26, was admitted to the facility on Wednesday with bullet injuries after he was carjacked in Majengo, Kitui town at 8.30am while in the company of a female friend.

The attackers claimed they were police officers and forced him into their white car.

“He was blindfolded and forced to sleep facing down, driven to Ukasi area where they shot him several times,” Musyemi’s sister said.

“They then left thinking that he was dead, only for him to struggle to the main highway and call for help from good Samaritans who took him to Ukasi health centre. From there, the police took him to Mwingi general hospital,” she added.

She said the family is yet to understand why his brother was not guarded by police, despite the fact that he was a patient nursing gunshot wounds.

Musyemi – a second-hand shoes dealer in Kitui – was hospitalised after he was shot at the back of the head and at the left cheek, as well as the left ribs.

The sister said the assailants were permitted to enter the hospital at 8pm, which is past the authorised visiting hours.

“They hid in the hospital until 3am when they completed their mission,” she said.

“Though he was in great pain he was conscious since he was talking,” Musyimi’s sister said.

Meanwhile, Musyimi’s sister Sharlyne Malia who witnessed his brother being shot dead in his hospital bed has claimed that the men who killed her brother are after her.

On Saturday morning, she slithered out of a family meeting at Kathiani village in Kitui West, after claiming that two men came looking for her.

Mr Musyimi’s family claims he is a victim of extrajudicial killings.

“My brother was picked up by police from his house and was first taken to Kitui Police Station. Later he was brutally killed. They must tell us why they killed him,” said Nicholas Mukando.

The officers thought to have killed Musyimi and in realising he wasn’t dead, followed him to the hospital where they pumped 17 bullets to his body allt these in the full glare of the sister. Being a crictical witness, the sister need to be put on witness protection immediately.

Extrajudicial Killings have heightened in recent times and it’s high time theDCI Muhoro who’s heading the killer unit to take responsibility and resign since he’s unable to stop the senseless killings. The killing of this gentleman must cost as much concerns as that of Willie and rest of police brutality. There need to be a stop into this madness.

August 29, 2016
Revealed: How A Worried Safaricom Used Backdoor To Shutdown Bitcoin Which Was Set To Neutralize Mpesa Dominance In Kenya

Bob Collymore ,Safaricom CEO

Bitcoin, Mpesa and the case of BitPesa

Kenya Insights has embarked on an in-depth investigation into the underworld operations of Kenya’s biggest telecom, Safaricom, in the first episode of the eight series of investigative pieces, we look into Bitpesa. BitPesa, a promising company, founded in 2013 was first to market using a groundbreaking global payments transfer technology, the Bitcoin Blockchain. Bitcoin blockchain technology, is completely open source, threatens Safaricom’s cross-border money transfer partnerships. A Citi Bank report came out last month citing this technology as highly disruptive in African cross-border payments. Again, Safaricom took to its tried and tested dirty tricks to move fast and shut down the service before it gained traction.

BitPesa’s business model allows customers (businesses and individuals) from both abroad and in Kenya, to send and receive money internationally instantly from your mobile phone. The company chose to use Bitcoin blockchain. Customers based overseas and in Kenya would send bitcoin to Bitpesa and Bitpesa would pay out Mpesa. Or Customers would send Mpesa to Bitpesa, and they received Bitcoin.

A brilliant idea! Joe Mucheru, a renowned successful tech entrepreneur and current ICT Cabinet Secretary was the first investors in the company board. The man has seen it all. From his vast experience building Wananchi, a million dollar Internet Service Provider, and later as a top boss at Google. He immediately saw the value in leveraging an emerging technology to capture the $1.2 billion remittance market now dominated by foreign companies. He put in 40 million KES, 50% of BitPesa’s 70,000,000 seed capital.

All was going well.

Lipisha Consortium Limited, a payment gateway service firm, was contracted by BitPesa to automate the in and outs of Mpesa. For this purpose, it was necessary to sign up for Safaricom’s PayBill API service. The lack of proper APIs in Kenya highlighted earlier, means running a payment gateway is a tightly controlled affair for a privileged few. For example, few companies get all the contracts and are wholly dependent on Safaricom for revenue. This is what Safaricom to have a tight grasp of who, how and when technology companies can access the platform. Lipisha is one of these few privileged companies.

ICT Principal Secretary Sammy Itemere, CS Joe Mucheru with Safaricom chief executive Bob Collymore

Over one and half years, the company began getting outstanding traction. BitPesa went on to raise another $1.2 million to expand its operations in Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria. It immediately got attention from numerous publications on. A Citi Bank report hailed BitPesa for using blockchain technology, for solving Kenya’s poor cross-border payments infrastructure problem. According to sources, by December 2015, the company was moving as much as $400,000 in volumes monthly.

Safaricom could not help but notice BitPesa’s high volumes moving in and out. From its internal servers, Safaricom could see BitPesa’s transactions on customers’ Mpesa accounts. Volumes were going up, and the number of customers was growing.

Safaricom had good reason to worry. The company’s partnerships with foreign money transfer operators earn them a tonne of fees and entrenches Mpesa the brand. Xoom, PayPal, Skrill, Western Union and Worldremit currently have arranged partnerships. So, it was only a matter of time before Safaricom swooped in once more as they have done in the past.

Using its muscle, Safaricom demanded an urgent meeting with SpotCash, a partner company that relies 100% on business from Mpesa. SpotCash had signed up BitPesa Ltd. on its PayBill services via Lipisha Consortium Ltd. The company called insubordinate employees at Spot Cash’s service desk and immediately threatened to cut off ongoing services to the enterprise if the matter was not handled promptly. Sources reveal the tone was harsh and threatening.

Spot cash could do little but oblige. The company immediately shut off the service, triggering what would wind up in High court as a lawsuit for improper termination of services. Safaricom’s sway and monopoly had reared its ugly head again.

Is Bitcoin a Threat to Safaricom’s Mpesa Cash Cow?

For Safaricom, shutting down BitPesa was an attack on a potential threat, and had little to do with any existing law. Asking to see a license from CBK, of which none existed was conniving. BitPesa had not broken any Kenyan law and had taken all prudential measures to align itself with the law.

As a young potentially disruptive start-up company grows up, it begins to get noticed by established companies. This is always a great milestone in any young company’s life. Should the established companies partner with the start-up? Should they copy it? Should they close their eyes and wait to see if the start-up withers? Or, should they try and squash it?

Safaricom’s argument in court, against Bitpesa, was the same argument made by Kenyan Banks to stop Mpesa when it was launched in 2006. Back then, Kenyan Banks argued Safaricom was operating as a bank without appropriate licenses. They called for Mpesa to be banned from operating.

“Banks were publicly grumbling for some time that the playing field was not level for them and that Safaricom was taking on banking business without the appropriate license.”

At the time, Mpesa was unregulated. There was also no regulatory precedence to look up to. The Central Bank of Kenya gave a nod to proceed while monitoring.

Today, the same Banks that argued against it, now depend on it for their operations.

Fast forward to 2016 and the tables have turned. Safaricom is like the Kenyan Banks of yesteryears and now wants to shut down another budding technology, Bitcoin Blockchain.

“Safaricom claimed that Bitpesa had failed to obtain authorization for bitcoin transfers from Kenya’s central bank. Bitcoins are not regulated in Kenya, but Safaricom insists that it produces a licence to that effect.”

Bitcoin drastically lowers the cost of sending money anywhere in the world for free. There are no hidden or varying charges on Bitcoin like Mpesa. There is no license fee required to use the Bitcoin Blockchain like with Mpesa. Any company, big or small can tap into its open technology. Because it is highly disruptive, it potentially eats up what would be Mpesa’s market. Vodafone executives and Safaricom recognised this and came down hard on BitPesa.

In fact, this is not the first time Safaricom has clamped down on a Bitcoin Blockchain company.

Kipochi, another Bitcoin Blockchain company, set up in Kenya in February of 2013. Their plan was to enable interoperable payments between vendors using blockchain. Headed by CEO Pelle Braendgaard, the company set out on developing a prototype, Kipochi Pay.

Kipochi first integrated with Mpesa for testing out the product among a limited set of user, in-house staff. The prototype worked well enough to show the Central Bank of Kenya and local Telecommunication companies what was possible with the technology. It solved the interoperability problem that plagued Kenyan Banks and Mobile money operators. It did not matter that you were on Airtel, Orange, Mpesa or a bank. You could send money for the same price to anyone.

Just like Bitpesa, the company had to partner with a local Mpesa payment gateway. Kopo Kopo was one of the few payments gateways that had permission from Safaricom. Again, like BitPesa, Kipochi got massive coverage from the global press.

Elizabeth Rossiello, BitPesa CEO

The events that followed were all too familiar. Within a week or two, Kipochi’s connection with M-Pesa through Kopo Kopo was shut down abruptly without notice. It took Pelle more than a week to find out that Safaricom had forced Kopo Kopo to shut them down. Sources later revealed that the order to choke them off came from Vodafone in London. Vodafone Executives were up in arms over the attention the company was getting.

Pelle Braendgaard explained what happened in a blog titled ‘What happened at Kipochi’.

Speaking to Pelle and Kipochi, they revealed they had informal meetings with the Central Bank of Kenya, who called them in to find out who they were, what they were up to and what the hell Bitcoin was. Officials at the CBK seemed knowledgeable and gave them an informal green light to continue as long as they partnered with existing financial institutions or Telcos.

Despite Central Bank regulators being wide open to new money transfer and online payments technology, Safaricom would hear none of it. They stifled the project by essentially cutting off the channel access to customers. Kipochi’s USSD Bitcoin wallet required access to servers in racks at local telcos. The approval process took months, as Safaricom dragged out the affair.

In a well-documented documentary film titled ‘Mpesa has no Competition’ on Bitcoin and Mpesa’s clash in Kenya, Pelle cited Safaricom pressured regulators.

Kipochi was eventually forced to close shop after operating in Kenya for more than a year. In his last interview with a local newspaper detailing Safaricom and Mpesa’s dominance, Pelle said
“digital currencies can help drive financial inclusion and inter-link mobile money platforms for easy access anywhere around the world. Bitcoin can solve interoperability between mobile money providers both within Kenya and throughout the world.”

As for Petition 502 of 2015, BitPesa and Lipisha Consortium Ltd. lost the case. On 14th December At Milimani Law Courts, Justice Joseph Onguto ruled in favour of Safaricom, saying

“The Commercial Agreement between Lipisha Consortium and Safaricom reveals that Safaricom could suspend, not terminate the services it offers to the plaintiff, even without notice and for any valid reason.”

In the weeks that followed, the Central Bank of Kenya issued a public notice on Bitcoins in Kenya. The CBK clarified bitcoin and virtual currencies in Kenya were not illegal, and Kenyans were free to choose to buy, sell or hold Bitcoin. But the damage had been done. It was too late.

August 26, 2016
#GithaigaMustGo Looting And Fraud TARDA MD Brags He Steals With Ruto, Protected By Uhuru’s Cousin In, CS Kiunjuri That He’s Untouchable

Devolution CS Mwangi Kiunjuri

Corruption and impunity are the greatest economic progress that Kenya is faced with in recent history. Incompetence in office has seen our athletes embarrassed and suffered in Rio during the Olympics, thankfully, the useless Noc-K has been disbanded.

For the past weeks, Kenya Insights has been highlighting the fraud story of one Steven Githaiga, MD Tana and Athi River Authority(TARDA) a parastatal that is being run down the drain by this selfish and arrogant figure. He did not only change his birthdates from 1953 to 1958 but also forced rather self-appointed himself to the MD position without undergoing the normal recruitment process of public office. According to information we’ve gathered, Githaiga was the acting MD since 2009 until 2013 when Jubilee got into power and him liaised with Uhuru’s Cousin Muigai, Githaiga forged around and forced himself into the office without the usual competitive process, this is illegal in all terms.

Abuse of office has become the norm of Githaiga from open and disturbing tribal appointments. On getting into office, he appointed his entire family and clan and just like how he got into office, they were irregularly recruited without any interview let alone advertisement and there wasn’t Boards approval. It’s said, he holds the public office by the balls and anyone who dares coughs is squeezed.

Masinga Dam Project which is to be constructed at a tune of Sh.6B has been Gitthaiga’s latest fraud scheme, and tragedy has rocked his plans since Treasury has refused to approve funds. With his embezzling nature, Githaiga had already approached Chinese Construction Cartel for the construction of his dam. They even bribed him with his current V8 car as a tip to be awarded the tender. Talking of cars, Githaiga stole from TARDA a LandRover Discovery Reg No. KAD 266D which he sold to current National Assembly Speaker, Justin Muturi who doubles as his closest friend.

Githaiga’s relationship with Muturi explains why the unresolved issues on audited accounts for TARDA F/Y 2013/2014 have never been handled despite having been tabled to the Public Investment Committee several times with latest being this year, 30th March. It were unfortunate that the speaker could have used his position to block out the petition and opted to protect his friend and if anything, Muturi himself is a beneficiary of the Githaiga’s looting since he sold him the car.

His original and faked ID

The charlatan MD boasts of high places protection, walks around town shoulders high that despite all the glaring discrepancies and fraud deals he’s running, nothing will ever happen to him amplifying the impunity levels he operates on. Githaiga from our moles boasts to his peers that the Deputy President, William Ruto who’s office was recently polled as the most corrupt in Jubilee Government is his partner in crime and that they’ve together cut some dirty deals. He says Ruto will protect him whichever way and will stay in office despite the magnitude of accusations raised against him.

TARDA was initially under Environment Ministry but has since been moved to the Devolution Ministry under Mwangi Kiunjuri who again happens to be a buddy to the muddy MD Githaiga, and he also boasts to his peers that Kiunjuri has promised him security and gave him go ahead to embezzle as much as he can but play smart. Githaiga loud to his friends that his boss Mwangi Kiunjuri who inherited a scandals marred ministry has promised him security what type of system is this that promotes thuggery. The CS should be ashamed for associating himself with such a fraudulent character who is looting in his name. He therefore, must move with speed to weed out criminal elements like Githaiga frauding in his office, Kenya Insights will be committed to see action come from this office.

Githaiga, we gather has not been in his offices in the last two weeks since Kenya Insights started exposing him. You know they say the guilty are restless, well, the cornered MD has been operating between City Hotels like a typical City wheeler-dealer. He has deployed security men guarding his office for fear of being thrown out. Security officials nearly arrested him and escaped by a whisker. How can a government office be shut for that long? This is undermining service delivery and incompetence of the highest order. State offices should be open and accessible to offices throughout the official hours. Why then should Githaiga be allowed to run a government’s body just the way he so wishes?

A security sleuth has confided to Kenya Insights, that the disturbed MD has resorted to spying on his staff working with criminal officers, tapping their phone communications. He’s desperate to find out who amongst them released the confidential documents to Kenya Insights wasting his energy forgetting the files are publicly available at the Parliament’s Premises. You really can’t blame a man who faked his birth dates to increase years in employment, forged his ways to be a lecturer at USIU without standard credential(USIU has since responded to our previous issue that Githaiga didn’t meet lecturer standards, they’ve confirmed he was there but has since left, Faculty is following up on the issue, and we’ve also forwarded his name to MATIANGI AS ONE OF QUACK lecturers FLOCKING THE uNIVERSITIES)

Mr. Steven Githaiga Ruimuku. Managing Director TARDA

As Government gears to do a clean sweep on corruption as said by the principals, all parastatals need to be investigated as it seems, they’re bedrocks of corruption and impunity, and Jubilee has nothing to lose other than integrity by retaining open frauds as Githaiga in public office. He’s not only illegally in his position but also receiving the pension from the same government from his previous job, what kind of madness is this. He has perfectly silenced EACC(whose CEO Waqo is a cousin to TARDA Chairman) CID, ODPP. This madness of jungle ruling needs to come to an end. Kenya Insights will continue following the issue till an impeachable solution which is getting the fraud officer from the public office and a competitive process launched to get a competent director.

TARDA is on the brink of collapsing, and President jumps to the rescue. Its trouble was trusting such a high office that needs exquisite managerial skills with someone who has only a P1 Certificate from Mosoriot Teachers College and forged the rest of his credentials.

August 26, 2016
Steven Githaiga A USIU Lecturer Without Any Legit Academic Credential And The Sham TARDA MD With Faked Documents

Mr. Steven Githaiga Ruimuku. Managing Director TARDA

Just when you thought you’d heard enough dramas and fraud stories in Kenya, there’s always a new one cropping. Kenya Insights has for the past weeks sustained a course to expose on Steven Githaiga who is in the parastatal office with forged documents. Changed his dates of birth from 1953 to 1958 for the simple reason of increasing his employment years by five with the core aim of milking dry the Tana & Athi Rivers Development Authority.

From investigations laid by Kenya Insights, the cheating MD has illegally leased large tracts of public land under his office with the help of his private lawyer to other people. We will expound much on this in subsequent items. From earning salary illegally now accruing to over Sh.30M, Githaiga stands at the centre of the heap of swindling deals that have left the parastatal dry and broke hanging on strings before it eventually dies.

Kenya Insights has reached the relevant authorities to address this matter and save the parastatal from the carnivorous teeth of this charlatan but deaf years have been turned. It’s only a question of time before operations are stall since accounts are viciously mismanaged by the scam MD.

Githaiga is walking around chest thumping that he’s untouchable and that his close ties with the Deputy President William Ruto whom he openly say he loots with, will protect him. Comes at a time when the DP’s office has been polled as the leading arm in corruption. Githaiga also boasts of having protection from the President’s cousin Muigai. We are going to petition these people including Speaker of Parliament Justin Muturi who also happens to be his friend and whom he fraudulently sold to the Land Rover Discovery Reg. No KAD 266D at a throw away price after stealing it from TARDA. We will expose the faces he purports to be saving him and that he’s so untouchable.

United States International University-Africa, Nairobi. (Pic Courtesy)

Moving on, through our investigations, it is emerging that Githaiga who self-appointed himself to the TARDA MD post without any scrutiny and using his links with Muigai happens to be a lecturer at USIU and has registered for a PhD at the Catholic Univeristy. It beats logic how with all the deficiencies in his credentials the man manoeuvred to be a whole lecturer in an international accredited University as USIU. How could the scrutiny of this institution miss this? This puts USIU’s credibility in line and quality of education in jeopardy if a person with underwhelming credits is awarded the position to lecture students.

From the documents seen by Kenya Insights, the only certificate by Githaiga that can be approved is that of Mosoriot TTC where he went for his P1 course, the rest that he used to attain the USIU job can’t be certified. Our investigations led to USIU where efforts to get his details as the lecturer were turned down with a sleuth revealing he teaches in Business department yet his certificates are highly questionable.

USIU management must, therefore, take the matter with the agency it deserves and relook on his credentials because from the looks they’re subjecting their students to substandard education and at the same time jeopardising their credibility and public trust. Kenya Insights will, therefore, follow the vetting process of Githaiga. In fact, this case should worry USIU management and order a complete vetting on all their lecturers to out masquerades.

In our flowing series on TARDA looting and Githaiga’s frauds schemes, we look into the illegal lands leasing, Chairman TARDA Abdul Bahari, a relative to EACC CEO Waqo and has been protecting the MD and at the same time eyeing gubernatorial seat botched multi-billion Dam project and the high personalities defending the fraud MD. Meanwhile, we’re petitioning and daring USIU to prove Kenya Insights wrong by proof of certificates that they’re using a dubious lecturer on their students.

August 24, 2016
Here’s The List Of Kenya’s MPs, Senators And Joyriders On Taxpayers Bill In Rio As Athletes Suffer In The Olympics

Sports CS Wario

The Kenyan athletes representing the country has in the entire competition been faced with endless problems and avoidable mishaps courtesy of incompetency with NOC-K who have been blamed for the predicaments.

The team has faced travel and accreditation challenges among other problems as it emerged that some Senators are wallowing in luxury in posh hotels in Brazil at the expense of the Kenyan tax payer. As the athletes strain themselves, legislators including 21 MPs are blowing a cool Sh.3.2M each as an allowance for the 21 days during the Olympics, and that’s Sh.50,000 daily. That’s away from the travel expenses.

Below is a list Kenya Insights has obtained of the NOCK officials sent to the games. Note that there are those in the trip at taxpayers expense but have not been included in the list. Includes officials kids and clandestine.
STEERING COMMITTEE NAME ORGANIZATION ROLL
1 Amb Richard Ekai Principal Secretary Sports
2 Joseph Okundo Principle Secretary Culture
3 Kipchoge Keino Chairman NOCK
4 Francis K Paul Secretary General NOCK
5 James Waweru Chairman ADAK
6 Japhter Rugut CEO ADAK
7 Jackson Tuwei President AK
8 Nderitu Gikaria Chairman KNSC
9 Fred Muteti Chairman Sports Kenya
10 Samuel Njonde Chairman Sports Fund
11 Gordon Olouch Ag. Director General Sports Kenya
12 Jaxon Indakwa Ag. Director General Sports Fund
13 James S Kinyanjui Legal Officer
14 Sharad Rao Legal Officer TREASURY
15 Francis Anyona Oino Controller of Budgets
16 Peter Muhia Wanjiku Desk officer MOSCA CHEF DE MISSION
17 Stephen Arap Soi NOCK CENTRAL MANAGEMENT
18 Bernard Ekumbo Deputy CDM (NOCK)
19 James Chacha Executive Officer (NOCK)
20 Fridah Shiroya Finance Officer (NOCK)
21 Pius Ochieng General Team Manager (NOCK)
22 Julius Ogeto Chief Medical Officer
23 Patrick Nkabu Finance Officer (Ministry)
24 Cathrine Ndereba Deputy GTM (NOCK)
25 Resham Bains NOCK
26 Anna Njambi Documentation Officer (NOCK)
27 Peter Angwenyi Media Liasion officer (NOCK)
28 Christopher Lorot
29 Joseph Kiget
30 William Yiampoy
31 Lydia Kamau
32 Maurine Mutuku
33 Dorothy Otieno
34 Peter Ekai
35 Wesly Maritim
36 Lamech Oriku
37 Abdullahi Omar

Senators

Stewart Madzayo (Taita Taveta)
Martha Wangari (nominated)
Godfrey Kariuki (Nakuru),
Karue Muraguri (Nyandarua)
Joy Gwendo (nominated)
Mvita Kisasa Mshenga (nominated)
Abdirahman Ali (Wajir)
John Munyes (Turkana)
Halima Abdille (nominated).

We’re yet to get the list of the MPs but will update as soon as we get it. One is left wondering what was the urgency that Kenya had to fly out almost entire parliament to Rio. What values would they be adding to the players if not milking their kitty? The millions used in accommodating the joyriders doing nothing meaningful but random escapades could’ve been used to add more monetary value to the medals won by athletes.

Treasury gave Sh.600M to NOCK for the competition and from the looks nearly three-quarters has been spent on the joyriders, squandered with players getting a struggling quarter of their allocations. This trend of scavenging and eating off other’s sweat is not only sickening but puts Kenya in the books of shame for mistreating their players, and you wonder why athletes are not taking a second thought in auctioning their citizenship to countries like Bahrain who treat them better.

If it were so important for Parliament to witness and make a report out of the competition then why not send a handful even one MP instead of the bunch sent. This is an open misuse of public funds, the extravagance adding to the already heavy debt burden to the taxpayer must be discouraged. Sports CS owes Kenyans answers and the values added by spending millions on the undeserving joy riders

Updated:

August 20, 2016
Revealed: Increased Drug Trafficking From Kenya Core Reason President Obama Is Sending John Kerry For Talks With Uhuru

Between 21-22nd of Aug, the US Secretary of States John Kerry will lead a delegation for a diplomatic visit to Kenya. Amongst the topics lined up for the US Secretary of States John Kerry is to pile pressure on Kenyan authorities to undertake serious electoral reforms, which are key to future stability. Diplomatic sources said the move by Mr Kerry to visit Kenya is part of efforts to push for the major shift in the way things are done locally.

Whitehouse feels major agreements reached with Statehouse last July when President Barack Obama visited are yet to be implemented. The agreements were key in the war on drug trafficking and corruption. “There is concern that the agreements are yet to be executed by Kenyan authorities hence his coming. He will also raise other issues,” said an informed source.

According to Statehouse in Nairobi, Matters expected to be discussed include security, regional and international relations and especially, the recent upheaval in our northern neighbour South Sudan as well as Somalia.

However, impeccable sources privy to this visit tell Kenya Insights that Kerry’s visit has a lot more to do with the war on drugs, sources said the US government is concerned that there’s an increased cases of the drugs seized in America passing through Kenya.

Numerous reports, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report of 2011, have cited Mombasa as a region that is increasingly being used as a transit hub for narcotics on the global circuit. In September 2011, the International Peace Institute reported that profits from the illicit drug trade had infiltrated Kenyan politics, linking officials to international cocaine and heroin smuggling rings.

On August 28, 2014, Uhuru supervised the destruction of Iranian-flagged Mv Bushehr which was impounded with 377kg of heroin worth Sh1.3 billion. The suspects arrested on board, all foreigners, were denied bail and are still on trial in Mombasa. The vessel was impounded by Kenya’s naval forces with the assistance of foreign navies off the coast of Lamu and dragged to Mombasa mid-2013.

One year later, on August 14, 2015, the military also blew up a Singaporean-registered luxury yacht off the Mombasa coast, which police said was found stuffed with narcotics. Anti-narcotics detectives estimated the heroin seized on the yacht, Mv Baby Iris, to be worth Sh20 million. Initially, police in Mombasa claimed the vessel, whose Seychellois captain Clement Serge Bristol is among suspects on trial, ferried tourists between Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Madagascar.

Police also named claimed the yacht’s British owner had been summoned from London, but it is not clear if he was ever interrogated. The largest drug haul to be made in Kenya’s history involved the capture in 2004 of cocaine worth Sh5.3 billion in Malindi. The seizure became a matter of legendary police missteps that led to the acquittal of most suspects, a murder of police officers involved in the case and the alleged disappearance of part of the haul during its “destruction”.

In October 2013, a Lithuanian national, Kudrika Gytis and a Kenyan national, Anna Muthoni, were arrested at Wananchi Hotel in Ganjoni area with heroin worth Sh49 million after their partner, Reikumas Ricards, their alleged accomplice, was found death in his hotel room, apparently from a drug overdose.

Tom Wolf, the British Aristocrat, is the latest suspect be swallowed in the growing syndicate. A ship carrying over an estimated Sh2B worth of Cocaine was impounded at the Mombasa Ports last month and was linked to Tom’s Company.

The Ship Mysteriously disappeared, and the whereabouts of the confiscated drugs are unknown. Tom together along other suspects were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. The suspects have been held behind bars.

In a sharp twist, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) a bank associated with Kenyatta’s family has given a surety of up Sh.140M as bond for the release of Tom Wolf. The move by CBA has attracted sharp criticism from Uhuru’s critics saying he’s protecting the drugs trafficking syndicate. This was evident in the Trending Topic #CocaineBankCBA on Twitter for a good part of Friday morning.

August 19, 2016
A Detailed Expose How TARDA MD Steven Githaiga Faked His Birth Dates To Gain 5 Years In Parliament, Looted And Continue To Loot The Parastatal

Mr Steven Githaiga Ruimuku. Managing Director TARDA

In our initial release of this scandal, we detailed how the crooked TARDA MD faked his dates of birth reducing it by five years just to serve longer on Government. We’ve also highlighted how he had misappropriated funds going up to Sh.200M in his tenure. We’ve also highlighted on the open nepotism and tribal appointments that have become the order of the day at the State’s authority.

Steven Githaiga Maina Passport number A383456 as he was formerly known and according to National Registrar Bureau, changed his identity to Steven Githaiga Ruimuku Passport number A593455 distorting his date of birth from 1953 to 1958. This was a ploy to reduce his age and increase five more years to his years in service. It’s worth noting that Githaiga had attained the retirement age, in fact, he had retired from a previous Government job of which he continues to receive the pension from.

Changing his ID Card and Passports details to fit in the job’s bracket is a serious criminal offence that in a law-abiding country, the charlatan should by now be rotting in jail and not sitting pretty in the comforts of the government’s offices. The fact that Githaiga is free even after being exposed in the media and the CID forwarded his files makes you wonder what the Criminal Investigations Department is doing in stopping fraud exercise as this of the TARDA MD. DCI Muhoro should by now be roasting fabricate Githaiga in the oven for forging official documents but for reasons known to him and the suspect, and he’s walking free, such an insult to the justice system.

His original ID dates 1953

The faked passport No. A593455 showing date of birth as 1958

Githaiga by the simple fact that can be proven that he faked his biological credentials, should be sent to jail without questions. EACC yet another toothless body has been called to action and as usual, they received the files, and nothing has been forthcoming from them. According to moles talking to Kenya Insights, the anti-graft body was compromised by the corrupt MD to sleep on the case.

To the key issues, questions that Githaiga has failed to answer to date include;the procedure he used in the recruitment of staff, list of staff in 2013 including the full list of applicants, shortlisted and fruitful candidates, composition of the interviewing panel and its recommendations, details of all employees recruited during this period including dates and appointment. He can’t provide these necessary information since everything was done out of the law. Githaiga hired everything and everyone in his family and circles into TARDA without considering the law. Talk of ultimate duplicity.

From documents in Kenya Insights custody from a parliament mole, TARDA scandal and Githaiga was handling by Eunice Hinga and Ibrahim Lorot the EACC detectives whom we learn were compromised with bribes and promised me in order to step on the case. EACC issued Githaiga with a summon on 7th October, 2015 and to date that has never been honoured, has never been to the offices, he simply summoned the EACC detectives to his office bribed them and the case took a natural death way.

Ombudsman also took up the case on Githaiga being illegally in office. Let’s do some math here. The Auditor General, who unearthed the scandal say the acting MD earned Sh.10.8M in basic salary during the fraudulently extended tenure in office. Am analysis of-of the extra salary, which he ought to have made totals Sh.10,765,464, breakdowns from 2009.

In the audit review, Githaiga made a total basic pay of Sh.1.2M in the six months from January to June 2009 when he was the deputy MD. The MD’s basic pay according to the AG, was Sh.200,00/pm. Between July 2009 and June 2011, Githaiga took home Sh.3.6M for the two years he worked. Between March 2012 and Feb 2014, 24 months in total, Githaiga earned a total of Sh.3.6M. In this period(July 2014 to March 2015) according to Ouko’s report, Githaiga received Sh.10,756,464 basic salary besides other allowances. All these were illegally earned. Add everything to August 2016, and Githaiga has received over Sh.30M in basic pay leaving out allowances which make the strong potion.

AG Ouko also accused Githaiga of irregularly recruiting 37 employees in his capacity as acting MD before taking over an office in 2013, April. The illegal appointments for the financial year ended June 30, 2014, total basic pay amounted to Sh. 13,787,412. A closer scrutiny into the fake recruitments by the tribal Githaiga revealed that 17 out of the 37 workers were from his Kikuyu community. Worse still, the positions weren’t advertised as a condition for competitive recruitment as required in state’s offices.

Githaiga is illegally in office. Was appointed as the acting MD on 22nd April 2013 and while in his position, he ensured that he was irregularly confirmed as the MD in April 2015 without being subjected to competitive recruitment for holders of such officers.

Scanned documents from the Auditor General’s report showing the looting levels administered by Githaiga

He presented to the Board of Directors a recruitment process done in 2009which were dispensed by the then Regional Dev Minister, Fred Gumo and therefore not applicable. Due diligence and vetting were not done as the MD was interdicted for misappropriation of Sh.190M for ESP programme in TANA DELTA which he has never accounted for to date.

In respect to Sh.30,714,048 grant received from the Europian Union for implementation of community-based mini-hydropower development in Upper Tana basin for poverty alleviation project. However, the funds have remained unutilised for over four years. Available information to Kenya Insights indicates that the EU has since recalled the funds in the exercise 2013’2014 and advised TARDA to come up with a new proposal for another grant. This is a glaring case of incompetence.

Githaiga has not explained why the funds were not put into intended use resulting to the withdrawal of the same by the donor. In the circumstances, the authority seems to be focused on achievements of its strategic goals.

Githaiga changed his name from what is in the national ID as confirmed by the National Registration Bureau to a different one which is in his passport No. A1593455 acquired on 2nd February 2011. Further, he has changed his date birth from 1953 to 1958 a date he now uses on most of his official documents.

Accordingly, he ought to have retired in 2008, a year before the government enhanced the retirement age to 60 years. This amounts to criminal action on the part of Githaiga of cheating on his age by five years. The DCI should not tolerate such a tactless and fraudulent MD and its an insult to intelligence when such a fraud holds such a high public office for whatsoever reasons.

We call upon the CID, DPP, EACC to man up and pick up the case in streamlining public institutions. If either of the bodies wants to feign ignorance, Kenya Insights is readily available through ([email protected]) to present the files to them for solutions.

Given his financial might, Githaiga the scamming TARDA MD has been able to silence all the key institutions from highlighting the story. EACC is loudly silent waiting for their share of millions. We’re told he paid them handsomely with promises of more. TARDA is destined to receive close to Sh.3B as of 2017/17 FY allocations and this is one of the reasons we learn he extended his period. The money he’s baiting to loot and pay off the rest of his other crooks as promised.

It is disturbing that while Kenya is struggling with high youth unemployment rate, some old charlatans are using crooked and criminal methods to stay afloat. Githaiga is receiving pension and at the same time, he’s receiving salary from the same Government under different names and dates of birth. One wonders why nothing can’t happen to him yet the evidence is out in black and white and in the right hands. EACC,CID,DPP and SCAC the goverment’s agencies that have been sleeping on the job and need to wake up before this man completely finishes TARDA.

It’s even more depressing that the fraudulent TARDA MD was appointed by respected environmentalist Prof Judi Wakhungu. She was aware of all these transgressions and still went ahead to appoint him adding stains to her presumed white profile. Her integrity, reputation and international respect that she commands is now in line for having appointed such a swindle into such a big position. With everything now open to the public we call upon the CS to revoke the appointment of Githaiga and ensure he pays back all the money he received from TARDA illegally and most importantly, work to see that the corrupt MD is thrown behind bars for his criminal acts of forging official documents and corruption. Kenya Insights is keen to follow up the matter to the end and will be paying attention to see how Wakhungu and relevant authorities will handle this. There’s no option of relaxing until this matter is solved and that’s by the fraud MD being ousted and legal actions taken against him.

August 18, 2016
Eastleigh Traders Asking Whereabouts Of Their Missing MP Yusuf Hassan As Private Developers Embark On Massive Public Land Grab

Yusuf Hassan MP for Kamukunji

Despondent traders in Eastleigh are left in the cold pondering where their area MP for Kamukunji Yussuf Hassan is hiding as private developers launch massive grabbing of public land in the busy and resourceful business zone. The cries from the group of hawkers talking to Kenya Insights are coming at a time when the Ombudsman report on a conflicted piece of land in Eastleigh found the occupant developer guilty of irregularly procuring the land.

Alfa Traders with Ali Sheikh Mohamud and Mohammed Barrow listed as the directors according to CAJ investigations, fraudulently acquired the land to construct a mall liaising with defunct City Council of Nairobi in 2007. Despite National, Lands Commission revoking the lease held by the dubious group and ironically the County government reinstating that the land is a public amenity, in 2014 when Kidero Government took charge, things took a sharp turn.

From what Kenya Insights establishes was after substantial negotiations and million shilling bribery by the Alfa Traders owned by City Billionaire connected in numerous scandalous deals, Sheikh Khalifa, Director of legal affairs Karisa Iha in Feb 2014, gave the Alfa Traders legal ownership of the land despite the open discrepancies.

Ombudsman in its recommendations to solve the standoff, recommended for the Nairobi County Government to repossess the land from the dubious traders and serve them with a cessation notice and immediately stop construction and vacate the parcel of land LR. No. 36/VII/1037. It also recommended the 403 affected traders be prioritised in the new allocation since the land is listed legally as a public amenity.

Traders were also RECOMMENDED TO BE AWARDED Ksh.150,000 each as compensation for the costs incurred in constructions of stalls destroyed by Alfa Traders. Corrupt official seated at City Hall, Nelson Otido who executed the lease of documents in favour of Alfa Traders, Isaac Nyoike, Chief Valuer and Karisa Iha the Director, Legal Affairs be fired by Kidero the Nairobi Governor over abuse of power and breach of public trust. However, these recommendations are yet to be effected with City being the chief accused and yet charged to execute directives opt to give silent treatment on the new developments.

As the area MP, Yusuf Hassan shouldn’t be taking a backbench position on a matter that needs intense mobilisation and lobbying despite his quiet tone nature. This is the time Yussuf should stand with his constituents and be seen to be with the mwananchi down there, after all, it is his constituency, and he has the obligation to protect public interests and amenities.

The land squabbles have been ongoing for years and from what Kenya Insights gathers, the MP has been conspicuously missing from the picture with the traders who are drawn from across the section of communities in Kenya left to fight for themselves. Senator Sonko at one point joined them and staged a protest where the construction by the fraud Alfa Traders stopped for few days, but he has never been seen there again. The traders say the monied Sheikh Khalifa bribed Sonko to buy his silence. Kenya Insights has relentlessly reached out for the senator in weeks, and his lips have remained super glued going to affirm the allegations of the traders that his silence was bought.

Governor Evans Kidero and Senator Mike Sonko. Both have steered away from the Eastleigh Land Grab, alleged to be having business links with Alfa Traders the dubious company that has grabbed the public land.

The Governor, Kidero on the other side, also joined the traders and called for the Contractors to stop, but these were mere blab]nket orders as it’s been established he has business links with Sheikh Khalifa who is the owner of Alfa Traders. City Hall has been giving cessation orders to the rogue contractors but just for the cameras and letting them continue with the illegal construction.

It doesn’t make any sense when Kidero allude that he’s fighting the cartel when he can’t implement simple recommendations by the Ombudsman to repossess the land and fire rogue officers in his office. By keeping everything constant, Kidero is not only affirming his position in protecting impunity forces but also propagating the corruption culture within City Hall that has now escalated to disturbing heights.

Yussuf Hassan if not disturbed then must be ashamed for leaving his constituents to be disturbed in the hands of the looting cartel. What will be left for the public when the entire Eastleigh is being swallowed by the private developers. Will the same MP seek votes from the same traders he has abandoned? Why is the MP maintaining a resounding silent on this matter can it be read that he is compromised and only working to protect the corrupt network? These are some of the few of many questions the traders are putting through. Will the MP wake from the slumber and make a sound on this even a cough? Kenya Insights will be watching.

Alfa Traders continues with illegal construction at the public land despite Ombudsman directive that they don’t have rights to the land and County Government should repossess it

Despite the fact that the directives and Ombudsman investigations that Alfa Traders are illegally holding the land and Kidero should repossess the land, impunity is in full effect. Construction at the site continue undeterred daily, and that’s the ugly but real face of City Hall giving zero regards to law and order. The bribing Alfa Traders probably have oiled the officials and going on with their illegal business in peace. Kidero, Sonko and Yussuf the MP as the entrusted custodians are watching from the fence. The sad truth of Nairobi County where corruption and impunity are growing to be the order of the day. Yusuf is ranked as one of the best-performing MPs in the City.

August 17, 2016
Something That Happened In The Past Days And Government Wanted To Keep It A Secret, Paralyzed Key State Operations

What you’re about to read is what the Government of Kenya didn’t want you to know. The Kenyan Government IT department has been breaking the sweat in past few days following a massive hacking operation by the anonymous crew and group of hacktivists who target organisations or governments they deem to be violating human rights.

Anonymous Group which runs internationally and famed for bringing down the most of rigid government’s IT systems, reigned terror on Kenya’s government even though this won’t be the first time, the previous attack saw KDF, OP websites targeted and brought down last year.

In the past 4-6 days, the key government of Kenya websites were targeted by the hacking group and brought down. The Government’s IT department opted to keep it low with instructions to the blogger’s team and operatives to keep it secret away from a public’s eye as a superiority measure as they fought around the clock to regain control of the websites from the hackers who had launched the attack as a form of protest to the government.

While the silence game ensued and background battle with hackers to regain control intensified, major government operations that rely heavily on online executions were frozen from KRA to Nexus.

Screenshots of some of the State’s websites hacked.

Kenya Insights has been in contact with the anonymous global village who affirms to us the operation was major to protest the government of Kenya’s incompetence, abandoning the four Kenyans held illegally by the government of Sudan and rampant corruption in the system.

The Kenyan IT team put up a good fight going as far us hacking into the dark chat rooms by the hackers in a fierce bid to regain control of the states sites. We’ve informed a group of 15 hackers stationed and behind a shadow of Nexus launched the retaliatory fight. But according to the leader of anonymous talking to Kenya Insights, he says the Kenyan team are amateurs who came up with the childish armoury in regaining back the held sites.

” We’re going to let them breathe for now but this is just a warning shot, we will be back very soon and this time it will be bigger than ever. The government must change its ways or we’re going to paralyse online operations of the state.” Says the leader of Kenya’s Anonymous Hackers talking to Kenya Insights.

We’re informed the next in target is the government of South Sudan, who by far has been served with the warning note. South Sudan is currently holding in jail four Kenyans without any apparent justification crime in what the anonymous say is an illegality. As a protest to the illegal detention, Anonymous has promised to take over and down the entire South Sudan IT system as a bid to have the detained Kenyans released.

August 17, 2016
AoN Insurance In A Tendering Scam To Win A Sh.15Billion Deal With TSC

Sammy Muthui, chief operating officer at AoN Kenya Insurance Brokers

Aon Insurance Brokers struck a deal with Teachers Service Commission last year for medical cover on its staff valued at Sh 5.6 billion AON Minet, and the scandalous deal was surrounded with bribery claims which led to a court suit to have it terminated. It emerged that the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) were duped after some of its members were lured by a 10 per cent kickback from the deal.

Details emerged that some Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Knut were involved in hammering out the multi-billion deal were more concerned with the kickback that translated to approximately Sh500 million, that would accrue after the deal was finalised. The deal was tailored by Sossion and party.

It doesn’t make sense why TSC the employer had to bring on board KNUT in negotiating the deal, perhaps a ploy to oil shoulders of vital bodies to avoid repulsion. While the tender was advertised, the parties involved had already identified AoN Brokers who offered a good incentive.

The matter was brought to the attention of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission after anti-graft Director of Investigation Abdi Mohamud demanded copies of various documents from TSC to launch investigations into allegations of procurement irregularities in the award for tender to AON.

Among the records needed was the list of bidders, approved budget, minutes of the tender committee, payment vouchers and tender advertisements. In 2014, TSC boss Gabriel Lengoibon, with the outspoken fire-chewing Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion, allegedly secretly sourced for AoN Minet for the cover. In a bid to conceal, it is claimed, they invited officials of Knut to discuss the matter with Kuppet being kept in the dark of the goings on. It is compelling to note, Sossion was on National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) board that issued contracts to dubious clinics that caused a stir in public time back.

KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion

A new storm is brewing as AoN is hell bent to retain the medical cover deal with the commission since their current tie, expires, sleuths talking to Kenya Insights say, the Brokering Company has resorted to using every means in store to ensure that it clinches the Sh15 billion teachers medical cover scheme for a period of three years.

A manager at Pioneer Insurance Company( tendering for the contract with teachers) as we learn from source visited the Teachers Service Commission Evaluation Committee in Nakuru where they were having consultative meetings and parted with Sh1 million for each of the six members as the bribe.

The evaluation committee had been stationed in Nakuru county between July 28-31 only for the said AoN’s agent to arrive and part with Sh6 million in what could be described as trying to play dirty with Kenya’s largest workforce of 250,000 teachers. This was after AoN Insurance realised that Clarkson Insurance had quoted Sh14 billion for three years as opposed to AoN’s Sh15.3 billion. Liaison Insurance put a figure of Sh17.7 billion.

The quotation by Clarkson has caused sleepless nights to AoN forcing it to use crooked means to retain the lucrative medical scheme for teachers which it had earlier signed for a one year in the period 2015/16. The committee is currently divided and at loggerheads on whether to declare Clarkson the winner or AoN Insurance. AoN’s had during the initial contract with TSC signed a Sh5.6 billion contract.

A good umber of teachers who’ve contacted Kenya Insights on this issue says the AoN cover was the force down their throats and have lodged serious complaints. They complain of delays in the processing of payments to health facilities, leading to loss of valuable teaching time, thus adversely affecting innocent students in their respective schools whenever teachers go for outpatient services in AON Minet-accredited health facilities.

Kenya Insights has its eyes all over this deal and will be keen to see the directions it takes and how things play out. With 10% tradition in tendering at the back of mind, we will tell you the developments as we have our spies planted in all the corridors on this deal.

August 16, 2016
Controversy Surrounds Sh583M From The Goverment Meant For Allowances To Kenyan Athletes As Politicians And Joyriders Enjoys More

NOCK chairman Kipchoge Keino

Scandals continue to rock the athletics team sent to represent Kenya in the Rio Olympics. The few days that the team has been in Brazil, three officials have been sent home laced with mild allegations. The first to be kicked out of the camp was Michael Rotich who was linked to a doping cartel by agreeing to a bribe for alerting athletes on eminent drug tests. Rotich was arrested upon arrival in Kenya from Brazil and arraigned in court where he was charged and released on bond.

Next in line was the sprint’s coach John Anzrah who according to reports impersonated an athlete at the Rio’s athletes village and even gave urine samples for doping tests. It emerged the coach was using the athlete’s accreditation to access free food in the village since him, and many others lacked the vital document. As it turns out, a bunch of coaches have been locked out of the athletes’ village for the lack of proper accreditation which is NOCK’s sole duty to ensure and secure.

Its such a degradation that a good number of the athlete’s coaches are forced to cohabit and squeeze themselves in downtown hotels because incompetent and greedy NOCK and sports ministry officials didn’t prioritise and failed to secure accommodation and accreditation of these key role players in the competition.

While Coaches are squeezed to the edges of living cockroaches life, MPs, ministry officials including their kids and concubines a whole package of joyriders and unnecessary baggage are having top of life treatment inRio at the expense of the athletes. While the athletes are allocated mere $250 daily allowance, the politicians and joyriders growing bellies and getting massaged by the swollen number of prostitutes in the Rio beaches are earning, wait for it, $500/daily allowance, to do nothing.

Kenyan athletes at the 201 6Olympics opening-ceremony

It’s a shame and mockery to the hardworking athletes that their coaches are forced to live outside while NOCK under CS Wario’s watch ensured all politicians and their concubines and families acquired full accreditation to the athletes’ villages. How do these athletes gain maximum fitness without their coaches’ guidance, does NOCK understand the importance of having a coach or they think its joy riding? NOCK should be disbanded as soon as the selfish officials touchdown for cruel treatment of the people who matter most in this competition.

A scandal has cropped that NIKE, Kenya’s official jersey sponsor, gave out 8 Tshirts to each athlete only for the athletes to receive one t-shirt which they have to repeat throughout the competition. Said NOCK officials retain and sell out at high prices. Nike also gave out sandals and sunglasses both have disappeared. NOCK is placed to suck on the athletes to the bone marrow what a hoax of a body.

A group of 12 MPs including members of staff of both the Senate and the National Assembly are on the for all-expenses-paid trip to Rio Olympics in Brazil

They will each earn Ksh 50,000 per day in allowances which are a total of KSh8.4 million during their three weeks stay in Brazil. The group will cost the tax payer a whopping Sh8.4 million for the stipend for the three weeks they will be attending the games, Apart from the hefty per diem, the tax -payer will have to pay for the delegation’s air- fare which will total to at least KSh 3.1 million. These are the official figures but these people have travelled with their kids and concubines at the expense of taxpayers and while hide this under mysterious particulars.

The legislators who’ve travelled to Rio include; Matungu MP David Were, Senator Martha Wangari, Senator Isaac Melly, Stewart Madzayo, Muriuki Karue, Joy Gwendo Senator Muriuki Karue. While these are living as the royal family in Rio, these coaches are living like beggars and at the mercies. The Deputy President is also in Rio with an obese delegation so you can do the math, all on the taxpayer’s bill.

Kenya Olympics Athletic team manager Michael Rotich arrives at a Milimani court

The government released up to Sh.583M for athletes’ allowances, but things don’t seem to be adding up well as the trickle down effect on the players can barely shake a leaf casting doubts into the expenditures and truth in it.

With such a hefty allocation, it’s disturbing that Kenya’s physiotherapists and team doctors be treated are given a paperweight daily allowance of Sh10,000 instead of the proposed Sh100,000 when they are out of the country.

The athletes were entitled to Sh2,000 per athlete per day in local training camp and $250 while in Rio.

The Uasin Gishu county government had footed allowances for the 56 field and track athletes camping at the Kipchoge Keino High-Performance Training Centre at Sh60,000 per athlete and the marathoners who were based at the Naiberi camp site.

The Nandi county government, on the other hand, donated Sh1 million to cater for allowances for the rugby team which was camping at the Nandi Bears Club. With all these reprieves to the budget, you get the actual picture that NOCK was saved on expenses but knowing Kenya and Kenyans this money will be hiding in some undeserving pockets.

It was humiliating during the opening ceremony when Team Kenya was paraded without formal clothes, with some wearing tracksuits while others were in T-shirts and kitenge tops. NOCK with all the millions I am funding couldn’t organise and ensure uniformity in parade clothes.

While we applaud the real Kenyan spirits on our athletes as they put aside the ogre characters and animalistic treatment they’re forced to and put through by the cannibalising NOCK and sports ministry officials to give a spirited fight, we must in all venomous tone disparage the incompetent NOCK.

Whatever has happened inRio should be the last of many, we must restructure the system and have a body that puts the priorities of the team ahead of everybody and anything else. Every cent must be accounted for when the bell finally goes off and the finishing line crossed.

August 14, 2016
Abuse of Office: Steven Githaiga, MD TARDA Who Has Employed His Entire Family And Friends Into The Parastatal (2 of 20)

Mr. Steven Githaiga Ruimuku. Managing Director TARDA

The second part of our 20 scheduled series dedicated to exposing the rot that has become of Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority(TARDA) MD Steve Githaiga originally born in 1953 but sliced his age down to serve more by changing his name and identity to Steven Githaiga Ruimuku, 1958. This was a calculated move to allow him to stay longer in the public office.

Githaiga has misused his powers as told in part one of the expose to victimise staff members outside his native Kikuyu community and practising open nepotism in the parastatal. While all concerned bodies from EACC to parliament have been served with complaints and evidence how the bully, tribal MD has been misusing his office, actions are yet to be taken.

This is attributed to the simple fact that the fraudulent MD has compromised officials including EACC to sit on his files, putting them on his bankroll while continuing with misusing the office and launching massive looting in TARDA.

In his tenure at TARDA, the MD has irregularly recruited over 40 staff without following the laid down procedures. There were no vacancies available, no budget allocations, no job advertisement made and no BoD approval and no interviews conducted.

Among those irregularly recruited by the corrupt and tribal TARDA MD include Ms Lucy Wangui Ngahu(second wife of the MD), Lawrence NGAHU(BROTHER TO LUCY), daughter to the Director of Regional Authorities, Ms Salome Oyosi, close relatives and relatives as shown in the list below.

The newly recruited officers were not in casual engagement with as portrayed because previous cheque payments for casual employees do not indicate so. Casual payments in Masinga and TDIP are paid through cheque system.

Githaiga was interdicted for misappropriation of Ksh.90M for ESP programme in TANA DELTA which he has never accounted for to date. Its a shame that despite all these open steps of office abuse, the MD who by the way is illegally occupying the office by using illegitimate documents continues to enjoy the office tenure.

In a civilised country, such deceitful characters would not only be forced out of office but thrown into jail for forging documents and looting public funds. He’s bragging that he is the president’s community and that he’s untouchable. Is this the kind of persons the President want to be associated with? Someone who is using his name to loot public funds and to operate with full force impunity?

The scandals and looting by Githaiga in TARDA are overwhelming, and Kenya Insights with the dossiers at hand, will be highlighting these on every episode until the fraud MD is thrown out of office and a new competent MD appointed on merits takes over the office before the corrupt Githaiga sweeps the accounts clean. We, however, give the fraud MD chance to save himself the humiliation and exit the office before we launch the mother of Social Media campaign to not only oust him from the office he is illegally occupying buy expose his dirty linen. He can save himself by resigning, give back the money he stole, clear his office and negotiate with Kenyans he stole from for mercy.

August 13, 2016
City Hall Corruption: Kidero Disregards Ombudsman Directive To Repossess Grabbed Land From Public In Eastleigh, Allows Grabbers To Continue

Governor Evans Kidero and Senator Mike Sonko. Both have steered away from the Eastleigh Land Grab, alleged to be having business links with Alfa Traders the dubious company that has grabbed the public land.

Land grabbing of public land has in the recent become too rampant with public amenities shrinking as the surge by private developers preying on land to develop intensifies. The latest victims of widespread grabbing happen to be the Eastleigh Market traders who had their land grabbed by private developers as they’re popularly referred to, in this case, they are not private but have real faces.

Alfa Traders the dubious company that snatched the land from the traders, the company’s directors as listed on documents are Ali Sheikh Mohamud, and Farah Mohamed Barrow who happen to be just proxies, the master and chief grabber is one Sheikh Khalifa who bankrolls. The Sheikh is also accused of grabbing Ministry of Agriculture land where he has built his Diamond Park Estate.

The Market Traders had logged a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman to help solve the turbulence that has since seen the traders have their stalls destroyed as the developers took over the site. Even before the case was forwarded to the Ombudsman, National Lands Commission had nullified the fake lease that Alfa Traders were using and ordered for cessation and even withdrew their construction licence. However, all these were sideshows to allow to dupe the traders as Contractor was allowed to continue with their illegal construction.

Ironically, Kidero the County’s Governor at one point visited the site and even joined traders, he called off the construction and for a few days, the Alfa Traders stopped with their constructions but later on continued. This was just but a hoodwink to insinuate that the governor was against the illegal construction. Senator Sonko has played the exact cards as Kidero before on this land.

Kenya Insights has learnt that Sheikh Khalifa the financier and owner of Alfa Traders is a longtime friend of the governor dating back to their Mumias days, Sheikh Khalifa owns Diamond Wholesalers the biggest regional distributor of Mumias Sugar, they both co-own several properties in the city. It, therefore, doesn’t come as a surprise that Kidero is cushioning his friend.

Ombudsman report released on Monday recommended that Nairobi City County should issue a cessation notice to Mr Ali Sheikh Mohamud and Mr Farah Mohamed Barrow directing them to immediately stop construction and vacate the parcel of land, LR. No. 36/VII/1037.

City County Government should repossess and develop the parcel of land, LR. No. 36/VII/1037 into a modern market and give priority to the 403 traders or their successors.

In the event that the County Government is not able to develop the property, it should legally negotiate for a proper Public-Private Partnership contract that secures the interest of the County Government and the traders. CAJ should be involved in that process of PPP Agreement.

The Nairobi City County should compensate the Eastleigh Market traders at KSh. 150,000 each for the cost incurred in the construction of market stalls.

That Nelson Otido should not hold any public office for the reason that he unlawfully executed the lease documents in favour of Ali Sheikh Mohamud and Farah Mohamed Barrow.
The Governor should remove from office Isaac Nyoike, Chief Valuer, and Karisa Iha, Director, Legal Affairs for abuse of power and breach of public trust.

Alfa Traders continues with illegal construction at the public land despite Ombudsman directive that they don’t have rights to the land and County Government should repossess it

Five days later according to a ground survey done independently by Kenya Insights, the dubious contractors continues with the constructions undisturbed with no communication or a sound drop from the City Hall and more so governor’s office on the Ombudsman report.

Kidero has in the recent past in his gubernatorial renewal bid, been attempting to show the public to be fighting the corruption cartel that he attributes the City’s problems to. It, therefore, doesn’t make any sense to his course of the fighting cartel when the Ombudsman cut the work for him to stop the illegal construction, repossess the grabbed land and reward it back to the traders and also the officials that are collaborating with the land grabbers.

If the silence from Kidero’s office is anything to go by then his fight on the cartel is nothing but a swill, face-saving, too little too late trick. And only adding to strengthen allegations in the streets that he can’t squarely combat corruption and impunity while he’s their champion. Time will be the determinant if the governor will rise and stand up with the people who voted him and he will-will need their votes come 2017, or to sit back, play golf with his land grabbing friend Sheikh Khalifa and let him get away with a public land.

Kenya Insights is dedicated to following up this land issue to the end will keep asking questions until the time City HALL WILL RESPOND AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, REPOSSESS THE GRABBED LAND.

August 12, 2016
Incompetent NOC-K And Selfish Sports Ministry Officials Dampens Morale For Kenyan’s Athletes In Rio Olympics

Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario

As the general public in Kenya and International friendly countries take pride in our victorious athletes, some fictitious characters are not reciprocating the appreciation. More than ever in History, the Kenta’s team to Rio has been rocked with chaos and sportsmen slammed with unsettled state of mind and all these thanks to the disorganised Olympic’s committee and the unconcerned Sports ministry.

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya(NOC-K) has been a pain in the ankles of many athletes who’ve been forced and reduced to hopeless and insignificant persons in the international competitions, yet they’re the main characters in these games. The gaffes at NOC-K started even before the athletes flew out and Julius Yego called them out pointing at the incompetence and sheer negligence by the officials.

Later on, as the athletes were flying out, drama ensued when Yego one of the most valued athletes in the team could not travel since he had a ticket hitch which is upon the NOC-K to process for all athletes, someone was trying to pull strings, bad way. A standoff was planted at JKIA and athletes refused to fly out until Yego’s issue was resolved, and it was. More disturbing, Yego’s coach was not booked to travel with him for proper preparations and scheduled for Rio a day to Yego’s performance in the field.

This was happening when Sports Ministry officials led by CS Wario in what Kenya Insights learns who are even more than the athlete’s numbers had already been flown ahead of athletes and booked into luxurious hotels for the rest of the Olympics period while back home athletes and coaches had hopes hanging on a cliff what a joke.

Still, on NOC-K’s ineptitude, a Kenyan sprinter Boniface Mweresa named for men’s 4x400m relay team was dropped just a week to the competition, the news was delivered to him while in the training camp with rest of Kenya team. Another Sprinter, a Kenyan-US based Carvin Nkanata was barred from competing in the games following Passport hitch.

Carvin has dual citizenship and had his US passport with him, turned away, he had the option to appeal the decision so the NOC-K could facilitate to have his Kenyan passport and have him back in the competition, the committee refused to appeal in his favour as similar cases get appeals in other teams. Carvin was forced to travel back to the US as pot bellied officials opted to ride on his bills.

President Uhuru and the Rio Team when he flagged them off at Statehouse

Another coach John Anzrah adds to the humiliation of Kenya’s team after NOC-K official Michael Rotich was sent home for his doping cartel involvement. Anzarah was also sent packing after he posed as an athlete for doping test by giving his urine samples. In a twist, the concerned athlete claims Anzrah used his accreditation purely to obtain free meals from the athlete’s village. This means NOC-K officials couldn’t secure accreditation for the coaches so they have to rely on the athlete’s IDs and shadow to survive such a mess.

As Coaches survive on pathetic and desperate lines, Sports officials who even took their kids and concubines with them are enjoying the moments of their lives in the luxury hotels outside, an MP Wamalwa was caught on camera drinking heavy and enjoying the tourism commodities(prostitutes) in Rio.

One wonders who should’ve been the key priority for the committee and the officials. Wario as the responsible CS must take responsibility and roast in the heat. Players and coaches should’ve been the top priority and not lazy staff members who are not adding any value to the team and to anyone other than overburdening the taxpayer. These frustrations on athletes would dampen their moods and affect their performances. To sound like a prophet of doom, Kenya might just witness the worst performance ever. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen and if it does look for Wario and his incompetent bandwagon.

With all these psychological torture and belittling phase the athletes are forced by the carnivorous, prejudiced and inefficient officials, killing the patriotism spirit of the team. Don’t be surprised if some athletes belt out and agree to be bought by other countries who will appreciate and give them the respect and royal treatment that they deserve. Athletics is one of the basics that makes Kenya standout and put us on the tourism destination maps, and we must not gamble with it. We must say shame on NOC-K and CS Wario for overseeing the athlete’s torture.

In a despairing and futile move to block the cries of Kenya’s athletes from being highlighted, CS Hassan Wario has ordered that international press locked out of Kenya’s camp claiming that they’re blackmailing and sourcing for maligning stories, Hassan just because you have a wound doesn’t mean you chop off your leg, put the house in order. Corruption is not new in your docket, you’ve been tainted with numerous scandals in your tenure. Athletes have also been banned from talking to journalists a tactical gag order to keep them suffering beneath zones. We will continue to highlight plights as they arise and not hide behind patriotism at the expense of our respect deserving athletes.

August 12, 2016
Revealed: How Corrupt MPs Scheme To Rip Off Millions From Betting Companies As They Fight For Committee Slots

Leading betting firms in Kenya

Kenya being Kenya and MPs being predictable, it doesn’t come as an astonishment that the new bill in parliament is the new lady everybody is trying to put a plank of wood on their back. The National Treasury Bill, Betting, Lotteries and Gaming (Amendment) Act signed by Leader of Majority Aden Duale was published and submitted to the departmental committee on Finance.

An 11-member committee was initially constituted for the committee to inquire into the activities of the scores of the betting and gambling firms with particular emphasis on tax compliance, the disclosure of information and management of proceeds.

These companies have been used as the new harbour for money laundering. Owned by Bulgarian, Italian Mafias involved in international Credit Card fraud in the case of Sportpesa, drug trafficking and other dirty deals. These mafias lias with corrupt and money hungry leaders both in the government and opposition. From Mcheza to Sportpesa there are many ghost owners embedded in the government and opposition.

It’s, therefore, unsurprising that there’s a motion meant to regulate the running of the firms. It should be noted earlier that these MPs don’t have in mind the families broken by gambling, psychological torture it has reigned on addicted Kenyans but their interests.

Dominance by Sportpesa amongst the other main lines is one of the leading causes of concern to the politicians who now want fair play since they’re shareholders in this fraud scheme. Duale for example according to Intel reaching Kenya Insights is fighting for the interest of a notorious senior jubilee politician who happens to be holding stakes in Mcheza a close rival of Sportpesa. Sportpesa, Elibet, Betway, Betin Kenya and Mcheza are just but a few of the leading companies championing the nearly Sh3B annual turnover industry.

The 11-member committee co-chaired by Leader of Majority Aden Duale and Leader of Minority Jakoyo Midiwo to investigate the sector, which has come under the spotlight for harbouring tax cheats and money launderers. The team comprises Samuel Chepkonga (Ainabkoi), Thomas Mwadeghu (Wundanyi), Samuel Gichigi (Kipipiri), Benjamin Langat (Ainamoi) and Kanini Kega (Kieni). Others are Soipan Tuya (Narok), Dorcas Kedogo (Vihiga), Mary Keraa (Kisii) and Daniel Maanzo (Makueni). The membership of the committee has now risen from 11 to 13 after legislators Asman Kamama and Badi Twalib were included.

Francis Nyenze Minority leader has been listed to co-chair with Duale in the 13-member committee. Nyenze in the fight for the big position has traded words with Duale,”We have never seen the Majority leader in any committee. What is this that is making him and other House leaders want to put their names on this panel? I know gambling has a lot of money and my gut feeling is telling me to smell a rat,” said Nyenze.

It’s ironical, dampening when people like Nyenze who was the chairman of the task force that in 2009 investigated the collapse of pyramid schemes where Kenyans were duped into losing billions of shillings. The Pyramid Scheme report has never seen a light of the day neither has the duped Kenyans been paid back their billions lost. What miracle will he be doing other than using the position to add more figures to his account?

Every MP and their families now want to be included in the cash cow committee for dry milking, Betting firms and other interest groups, we established, are pushing for reconstitution of the parliamentary select committee to have friendly MPs sit on the team.

The companies know the nature of the game, and now that most of the MPs are broke and want campaigns money, their decision will be easily manipulated. This the time you’ll hear of funny retreats and these MPs flown outside the country to negotiate deals. Hope Kenyans haven’t forgotten about the BAT and Mastermind Tobacco saga where MPs were compromised, paid heavily, treated to luxury retreats where they enjoyed with their concubines.

Knowing all these factors in play and the calculations from both parties, Kenya Insights through our moles in parliament and Kenyans of goodwill, we’re planting our cameras and eyes on these corrupt legislators and on the companies stashing their briefcases to pay off the baying MPs. However much you hide believe we will know don’t ask how just know it’s a promise.

Email me with tips on this saga or any other scandal that needs highlighting and i will look into it. Address ([email protected])

August 8, 2016
Grand Conspiracy of Sh 600M Cocaine Haul, Uhuru, Nationwide Power Outage And The Kenya-Uganda Sugar Cartel

Earlier last year, President Uhuru cut a bilateral deal with Uganda that would see Kenya import sugar from the neighbouring country. His decision was met with fierce criticism from the opposition leader Raila Odinga and leaders from the sugarcane farming region of Western Kenya. The explanation was an importation deal with Uganda would kill the local trade by encouraging sugar smuggling from Brazil.

Uganda barely produces enough sugar to sustain it’s demand in their country and primarily imports from Brazil which is famed for making downgrade sweetener. International anti-narcotics authorities have also marked the route as a leeway for drugs trafficking and Mombasa Port being a mini rigid port facilitating drug trafficking in the region.

The opposition also accused the president of giving the sugar deal an okay in exchange negotiated a deal for his family’s company Brookside to be exporting dairy products to Uganda. Brookside is currently the biggest dairy enterprise not only in Kenya but the whole region.

It didn’t come as a surprise when Jack Alexander Wolf a British citizen was arrested last week together with two Kenyans in connection with the impounding of cocaine at the Port of Mombasa valued at Sh.600M.

Jack Alexander Marrian when he appeared before the court to answer on drug trafficking charges

According to information gathered by Kenya Insights, the three suspects are linked to a drug smuggling cartel from South America and in particular Brazil where the shipment originated from. They were trailed by foreign and local anti-narcotics authorities for months. The cocaine was in a consignment of sugar destined for Uganda from Venezuela when it was seized. The ship carrying the consignment was allowed to leave Mombasa because the drugs were seized after the consignment had been offloaded.

Kenya Insights also learn from reports that the drug haul was flown to Nairobi last week on Sunday and kept at an undisclosed location in Nairobi. This a Deja Vu of the 2004 Kenyan Police seizes of a cocaine consignment worth Ksh. 6.4B the biggest shipment to have ever been nabbed in East Africa. Years down the line, no one has been held responsible.

March 25, 2011, 98 packets of cocaine weighing two kgs each with a street value of Ksh 500 million were netted in Shanzu area in Mombasa. The six suspects, 3 Kenyans, 2 Iranians, and 1 Pakistani national were charged the same day for alleged drug trafficking. The consignment which initially weighed 196 kg came to weigh 102 kg three days later when the suspects reappeared in court. The mysterious disappearance of the 94 kilogrammes of heroin is yet to be resolved. In short, history can pre-empt the outcome of the drugs flown to Nairobi last week, and it will be a twirl.

Back to the case at hand, Jack Marian the Briton arrested in line with the Sh.600M Cocaine haul is a Scottish aristocrats’ son. He’s also head of the East Africa operations at International trading giant ED&F Sugar, and he’s also the son of Lady Emma Clare Clare Campbell of Cowdar, whose family own a popular estate in the Highland of Scotland, mentioned in the Shakespeare’s Macbeth. His mother Lady Campbell, 58, is the daughter of the late Hugh John Vaughan Campbell, the Sixth Earl Cawdor

Marian and his company are part of the Kenya-Uganda Sugar cartel. According to intelligence gathered by Kenya Insights, the cocaine in question was transported in containers which from outside appeared to carry sugar. The shipment we pick was due to be received by Mshale Commodities, coincidentally, Mr Marrian happens to serve as the company’s MD.

Mr Marrian has lived most of his life in Kenya and with his family’s royal stature made friends with powerful families in the land. He had since been released on bond, thanks to his connections and the loose ends in the narcotics laws and most importantly the corrupt judicial systems and also the corrupt police which according to Transparency International is a facilitating factor in drug trafficking.

It’s worth to note that the drugs were seized by US drug enforcement administration officials. The seizure is rare one in Kenya given the corrupt nature of the police who are easily compromised with bribes to let go. Another Kenyan, Roy Francis Mwanthi was arrested alongside Marrian and has also since denied the charges.

Marrian went to Pembroke School according to intel gathered by Kenya Insights lives in Karen, a Nairobi leafy suburb, Springs Valley. Isn’t is a rare case that the suspect Mr Mirrian was arrested then released the consignment flown or disappeared as reported the later he was arrested again charged, obviously without evidence. Perhaps a ploy to dupe public that investigations ongoing while in real sense none would be in place.

A Kenyan detective checks a packet of cocaine on display as an exhibit before a court session in Nairobi October 13, 2005.

On Saturday morning from 5.15am, Kenya woke up to a national power outage in what KPLC attributes to a ‘technical hitch’. Coincidentally, the general outage also rocked Uganda where a national power blackout went simultaneously with Kenya’s. According to Umeme Limited, the country’s power supplier, the blackout was due to a fault at the Owen Fall Dam in Jinja. It’s on an unusual day that you get to witness such a scenario where two countries go into darkness. Keeping in mind the Sugar link in mind a conspiracy of correlation in the cases becomes justifiable.

Talking of coincidences, an international airport as JKIA was also in darkness for two whole hours with all operations in this window period being in shadow, according to explanations from the Kenya Airports Authorities, their backup generators which are programmed to go on automatically on power cut as an alternative mysteriously failed to function and had to be rectified manually.

The generators are supposed and often put in check and up to the task to go on in the case of a power outage it came as a surprise that on this particular day it couldn’t function for two hours. The window period which meant anything was coming in and outside the airport happened undetected is a severe security issue that should and must worry conscious citizens. Whether the power outage at the airport was orchestrated as it may seem or not is a matter of concern that biggest airport could go for two hours without electricity alternative and that people must take responsibilities.

Speaking of responsibilities, Retired Major General Karangi the new Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) head is also not new to controversies, he’s just coming from heading KDF who according to a UN and broadly publicised reports are involved in a sugar-smuggling racket worth as much as $400 million a year. Much of this two-way trade—charcoal going out and sugar coming in—takes place through Kismayo’s sickle-shaped harbour in southern Somalia. The port was captured from al-Shabab in 2012 by Kenyan troops operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Kenya Airports Authority(KPA) new MD Catherine Mturi-Wairi stationed in Mombasa where the drugs were netted and also sits on the Sidian Bank formerly K-Rep Bank Board of Directors becomes a person of interest in the investigations. Sidian Bank belongs to Businessman Chris Kirubi. Catherine’s appointment was marred with controversies with a suspicious quarter pushing for her appointment, but that’s a story for another day. How can she possibly curb the drugs trafficking menace in the port? Can she explain where the haul is?

Kenya Airports Authority(KPA) new MD Catherine Mturi-Wairi

According to finer details gathered by Kenya Insights, the netted drug worth is way more that the Sh.600M as reported in the mainstream and could be worth billions. Power cut off both in Kenya and Uganda could it be that someone orchestrated this and took advantage of the window period to fly in and out drugs or whatsoever it is? Nobody can give an answer since nothing can be trapped.

Everything that happened at JKIA between 5.15am and 7.15am can’t be traced, nothing captured on the radar, and it was a total power blackout from a main power supply and the backup generators. What a coincidence that power also went off in Uganda and that the drug net has the sugar trade players caught up. More questions you ask, more conclusive you arrive at a perception.

That there was a power outage and backup generators couldn’t go on automatically as programmed for two straight hours is a disturbing national security threat at a time when Kenya stands at an all time terror alert. Elsewhere, this is the second time in a row that the national power cut is happening no one taken responsibilities and nothing happens beyond press releases. Kenya is headed to 2017 elections, we wouldn’t want a technical hitch or a monkey explanation cutting off power since we’re using BVR system meaning electricity must be available for smooth transmission or abracadabra in results might be destined.

Keep it Kenya Insights as we dig deeper into this and other more frauds and suspicious deals across the country and continent. If you have a tip or any lead feel free to email me the investigations editor at ([email protected])

August 8, 2016
Kenya’s Olympics Manager Asked For Sh.1.3M To Protect Doping Athletes, Here’s The Other Side Of The Story

President Uhuru Kenyatta, in yellow jacket, with the Kenyan athletics team, including Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha, circled left, and manager Michael Rotich, circled right

The fate of Kenyan athletes representing the country in the Rio Olympics is once again hanging on the strings following fresh developments by an international publication claiming their independent and undercover investigations found officials of Kenyan athletes as being part of the doping cartel.

Since 2012, Kenya has become under close scrutiny on doping suspicions, with about 40 athletes having failed doping tests. Including Former Chicago and Boston winner and celebrated athlete Rita Jeptoo and Emily Chebet, a WorldCross Country Champion being amongst them.

The UK’s Sunday Times, claim in an undercover investigation held back in January caught Kenya’s athletics team manager, Major Rt. Michael Rotich on camera asking for up to Sh.1.3M bribe from the doping cartel as a token to give tips to the athletes to clean their system on a scheduled drug test.

Sunday Times say they planted decoys who acted as coaches of British athletes and a one Doctor Joseph Mwangi who introduced him to the Britons. Mwangi has since been arrested, charged and free on bond following footage aired on a German Television that asserted Kenyan and British athletes were using banned energy boosters, EPO. Mwangi is a suspected doping agent and part of the cartel.

According to the report, Rotich agreed to a deal of Sh.1.3M in return he would be alerting the British Coaches on pending drug tests on their athletes. He alluded he had inside info and in connections with the testing body so in that case, he would be giving them the intel prior for the athletes to clean their blood and manage the tests without drugs detection.

The timing of this new revelation is rather suspect, one wonders why the Sunday Times had to wait all this time to release the report when the games have already kicked off. It also comes only hours after the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, gave Kenya a clean bill of health having complied with their standards on enacting the Anti-Doping Bill in parliament.

In a sharp turn, Rotich has come out to refute the claims saying he was playing along with the investigators and was si mply employing his military intelligence collection skills to trap into the doping cartel. He agrees having met the Brits and agreeing on the said bribe but only because he was playing into their hands to unearth the cartel that is destroying the reputation of the country and careers of the athletes.

The timing of this release is suspicious given Kenya’s known track record of winning, the scanty information would be used to descredit the perfomances and put into jeopardy the medals won. If there were any of the Kenyan athletes on doping, WADA wouldn’t have cleared the 40 representing Kenya. Athletics is a core economic element to Kenya that we shouldn’t allow dubious and gutted journalism to imperil and dent it.

George Arbuthnott, the journalist behind this latest report Kenya Insights learn is also said to have employed same tactic of acting as a doping agent on Mustafa Mohamed another Swedish athlete where he was staying in Portugal. He wanted Mustafa to to recruit atheletes for a running camp in Kenya. Sensing the dishonesty, the athelte called off the meeting alerting the security who later revealed his true identity, having used a pseudonym on introducing himself to Mustafa. Comments around accuse George of being a Kenyan hater and a racist claims which cant be ascertained.

August 7, 2016
How Moses Wetangula Duped Kidero To Dump Master Degree Holder Musundi For Form Four Leaver Nyambane

Ms Noellah Musundi Former Communication Director, Nairobi County

There is sudden curiosity on who exactly is Noellah Musundi, the Director of Communication appointed by Governor Kidero but served City Hall for just seven days before being sent on leave. My city hall and political moles confirm the high voltage political uproar from a section of CORD bigwigs and “Team Kidero” who swore to block the competent and tough lady from assuming the new office.

As the soap opera unfolded, the former but now current Director of Communication Walter Mong’are aka Nyambane had been suspended due to incompetence and failure to submit his academic papers.
Senior City Hall sources whisper Nyambane never graduated from Kenyatta University which is now public knowledge, making him a lucky Form 4 leaver to head such a senior docket and enjoying benefits of Job Group “S” meant for the Chief of Staff and Chief Officers at the county level.

Same sources reveal Nyambane’s full disclosure to Governor Kidero regarding his shaky academic qualifications, but the Governor went ahead with the appointment despite contrary advice from his advisors.
I am informed of the affirmative decision and plan by Kidero and the Public Service Board to let go Nyambane, necessitating the appointment of Ms Noellah Musundi who was formerly the Director of Communications in Bungoma County. She was deemed competent and experienced, as she holds a Master in Communication from The University of Nairobi and Degree in Journalism from The United States International University (USIU), coupled with experience in Media and Communication.

It is understood she was a powerhouse in Bungoma county, and by virtue of being a younger sister to the wife of Water CS Eugene Wamalwa, many saw her as a Jubilee mole and force that could have displaced some character at Kidero’s high table due to her value addition.

For instance, one of the CORD Principals,Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula who also is salivating for the gubernatorial seat, insisted on Jubilee’s plan to position moles in strategic offices as we head to the general elections, convincing Kidero that Musundi was one of them, and therefore a danger to the CORD’s strategy and confidential information. The situation escalated when Water CS Wamalwa declared his interest in the Nairobi Gubernatorial seat.

Walter Nyambane, the just reinstated Nairobi County’s Communication Director

It’s understood the forces forced Governor Kidero to hammer the last nail on Musundi’s coffin leading to the reinstatement of Nyambane in a bid to appease the Kisii voters in Nairobi. How this will translate into ballot power is a move most are still debating about. We hope Kidero made the right decision and Nairobians will soon witness interactive and strategic communication from his team.

It’s unfortunate this is a scenario being experienced by most young professionals despite the national and county governments promise to empower the youth. Apart from sexual bargaining young women and young people are faced with such a like challenges.

I’ve witnessed similar circumstances where the President came to the rescue of the oppressed. If I were the president or closely positioned in the Jubilee government, the same Miss Musundi is accused of being its mole, and i’d rush to tap can absorb her and utilise her competence or even give her a new diplomatic start outside Kenya considering the excruciating experience she is undergoing.

I also find it rather insulting and restricting to the growth of modern woman and independence that Wetangula used his close links with Kidero to block ways for a lady who’s career was just picking up just to settle whichever scores they might have had when she was working in Bungoma County for the Governor as the Communications Director where also Wetangula happens to be the Senator.

Why are men making life unbearable for women? Let me educate Moses a bit as a communications professional, our relationship with the client is more of a lawyer, client one, there’s nothing personal. No fossils are moved in or out. We practice most secrecy and work to deliver for the immediate customer.

The joke is on Kidero who took in Wetangula’s advice to send out a lady who instead would’ve salvaged his career. From my moles in Statehouse corridors, Wetangula himself is fighting for a place in Jubilee to be considered for the Gubernatorial seat alongside Wamalwa.

Kidero’s communication strategies in the past years given the controllership of a non-professional and underperformer, a form four leaver Walter Monga’re has been underwhelming with poor communication links. I’m informed Kidero’s choice of reinstating Walter is from the desperation to tap into the Kisii voting block in the County.

One wonders how many votes Walter can gunner for Kidero.
Latest polls have been ranking Kidero at a steady number two for the coming elections a worrying trend since new entrants as Wamalwa are causing serious ripples and set to change the scenes in the coming months.

Kidero has felt threatened and insiders telling me he’s genuinely scared he might lose the seat to Jubilee who are hell bent to capture the luxurious seat. In the past two months, Kidero has embarked on a serious social media campaign to fight for his space after an extended period of shadow existence in the social media streets.

Coincidentally, my moles at City Hall reveal to me that it was again Miss Musundi who coined the strategy to have an impacting social media presence and initiated the campaigns that before didn’t occur.
In a County where almost 70% of the population actively consume news online, only a destined loser will opt to overlook the use of social media to campaign as the dates nears.

Will Nyambane do miracles in the next few months to the elections that he wasn’t able to deliver in the three years of service, given space, communication is a critical campaign department to any politician, and one would not dare gamble but put close to the heart a competent and delivering communications team.

August 5, 2016
BUSTED: Mutahi Ngunyi Attempts To Save Face Flops, He Stole Sh.12.5M NYS Money And Here’s The Proof

Mutahi Ngunyi

The auditor general’s report mentioned The Consulting House a firm associated with Political Analyst and self-proclaimed Professor Mutahi Ngunyi was irregularly allocated up to Sh.12.5M in suspect payments.

Playing the angel’s card, Mutahi like the guilty child when the parents knock home, screamed out innocence even before questions were asked. He immediately commissioned an audit on his firm accusing the AG whom he refers to Raila man of defamation insisting his firm had clean hands on the allegations.

This was coming at a time when Josephine Kabura, a hairdresser and proxy of Ann Waiguru had launched an explosive NYS grand theft affidavit, and she mentioned Mutahi as one of the benefactors in the fraudulent deals. Mutahi offered consultancy services to the NYS.

The grand theft of the NYS is estimated to cost up to Sh.1.5B, money that disappeared mysteriously and ended up in few pockets of selfish and corrupt officials. The then Devolution CS Ann Waiguru was named in the affidavit as the mastermind. She would later resign, but the ghost of the looting still haunts her as she gears to vie for the gubernatorial seat in her home county, Kirinyaga. EACC is yet to give her a clean bill of health, something she desperately needs to kick off her campaigns.

The audit report commissioned by Mutahi Ngunyi on the House of Consulting has turned out positive to the contrary of his expectations. In a letter to the public service, gender and youth ministry, Mutahi admits some Sh.11,875,000 was found in their account, but they couldn’t account for the client.

Now how can a supposed client pay up to Sh.12.5M and not make claims this is not Sh.12K and even if it were its unusual for a company or whoever client to pay for the money they weren’t invoiced for. Such Million Shilling errors can’t even happen in a cheap Nollywood movie. Miracles do happen yes but not this one no. And why did it take the firm a whole year to detect that Sh.12.5M from mysterious source was sleeping in their account without a clear course? Doesn’t the firm conduct constant auditing? Why did it take Auditor General’s accusation to realise this? And we’re it not for the auditor, would Ngunyi have detected and come out publicly that he has money that doesn’t rightfully belong to him?

When the final day for a monkey beckons, every tree becomes slippery, and that’s the case for Mutahi. His theatrics are nothing but gimmicks tuned to paint an innocent man facing the wrath of mob lynching. He irregularly received Sh.12.5M from the government, sat on it. That was the plan. Now he comes out with escapism strategy.

Mutahi is coming out with figures thinking all Kenyans are blind and that he will manipulate their minds and get away with it, but that’s why Kenya Insights exists to separate truths from lies.

Mutahi cleverly gives the amount from the mysterious client as Sh. 11,875,000 and not the Sh.12,500,000 as mentioned in the Auditor General report. A well thought out mind play with figures manipulation. Breaking it down, what Ngunyi doesn’t tell you is that consultancy services attract 5% withholding tax and is therefore paid at 95% and the 5% paid to GOK via KRA. 5% of 12,500,000 is 625,000.

His firm The Consulting House was paid as stated by the auditor general and should not play with figures. They must have been notified that withholding tax was remitted, and they have consequently been credited with the tax in their KRA ledger accounts.

They must not only refund the money but also interest on such amount besides being charged in a court of law. Amount due =12,500,000/=
5% withholding tax=625,000/= Net amount to be wired=11,875,000/=

An online certificate is issued when withholding tax is paid to KRA and receiving entity instantly notified, this signifies payment.
So yes 12,500,000/= was paid to Mutahi as indicated in AG Ouko’s report.

Mutahi Ngunyi is doing rounds with figures and playing with Kenyans minds. If the amount in his account can’t be accounted for then there’s unaccounted and asset recovery unit in government, let him return the money, after all, it will get back to the right people, taxpayers.

Meanwhile, the professor can continue with his theatrics and tyranny of swindling and mind’s manipulation of the sleeping. Luckily, a majority of Kenya is awake, but the fact remains, Ouko exonerated, and Mutahi was irregularly allotted 12.5M. Dead end Ngunyi you stole from NYS.

August 5, 2016