The High Court on Friday halted the recently launched deal between Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) and Adani Energy Solutions, delivering a setback to the government’s plans to partner with the multinational. The deal, inaugurated by the President just a day earlier, faced a legal challenge from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which petitioned for an injunction pending a full hearing.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that LSK had established sufficient grounds for an injunction, noting, “Pending the inter-parties hearing and determination of the Application dated 23/10/2024, a conservatory order is hereby issued suspending the implementation of any Project Agreement between the respondents and the 2nd Respondent or its related companies and entities regarding the development of transmission lines, substations, or other electrical infrastructure.” This suspension order applies to agreements involving KETRACO, Adani, and related entities until the court convenes for a full hearing.
Additionally, the judge issued a restraining order preventing the respondents and their representatives from entering into new agreements or furthering existing ones with Adani or its affiliates for power infrastructure projects until the hearing is resolved.
Justice Mwamuye directed LSK to serve the petition to all respondents by close of business today. The respondents must file their responses by November 1, and the case is scheduled for a mention on November 11 for further directions.
Adani Energy Solutions will revamp and expand Kenya’s energy transmission network in a 30-year deal valued at Ksh 95.7 billion.
Energy cabinet secretary Opiyo Wandayi says the pact was signed on Wednesday this week, marking the end of a four-month marathon negotiations.
The company is part of the Adani Group of India which has initiated a private tender to expand and run the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) under a 30-year build-own transfer model.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Energy on Friday afternoon, Adani Energy Solutions will raise all the funding in the form of debt and equity that will be repaid over the 30 years of the project agreement, as part of this infrastructure development.
The statement signed by Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi further says the agreement marks the beginning of a transformative initiative to develop, finance, construct, operate, and maintain key transmission lines and substations across Kenya.
Under the pact, Adani will fund, develop and manage the 400kV Gilgil-Thika-Malaa-Konza Line:Spanning 208.73 km.
The project will include the construction of new substations at Gilgil, Thika, and Malaa, as well as substantial extensions at Konza. Adani Energy Solution will further develop the 220kV Rongai-Keringet-Chemosit Line with coverage of 100 km among other projects.
The Kenya Energy Transmission Company will be the project manager. The government says negotiation for the deal has been ongoing for the last four months.
The company is part of the Adani Group of India, which has also proposed to fund, construct and manage the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport through a 30-year concession. The deal has sparked a major legal and political storm due to the nature of the agreement.
Anti-graft agency is probing a senior manager at Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) over allegations that he amassed great wealth through corruption.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) filed an application at the High Court seeking an order to freeze the accounts and properties of Ketraco supply chain manager Peter Maina Njehia and his wife Julie Hellen Matu over suspicion that they are proceeds of graft.
EACC, through lawyer Pius Nyoike, claims Njehia bought several parcels of land, apartments and high-end vehicles with money he made through corrupt deals at the electricity company.
“Our investigations have revealed that contractors and suppliers to Ketraco have been bribing senior officials, including Njehia, to facilitate payments and awarding of the contracts. We suspect that he used the money acquired through corruption to acquire the properties,” said Nyoike.
The commission claims that Njehia was employed as Ketraco’s senior manager in charge of supply chain management in December 2016 with a monthly salary of Sh326,745 but within five years, he had acquired properties that are not commensurate with his earnings.
According to documents filed by the EACC in court, Mr Njehia’s salary between 2010 and March 2021 stood at Sh35.7 million-plus imprest amounting to Sh4.48 million.
It is alleged that Mr Njehia used his position to influence and award tenders at Ketraco and the Ministry of Transport, where he previously worked.
“The respondent has illegally and irregularly engaged in the influence and award of tenders, procurement and payment of goods and services, which has seen him abuse his office, receive bribes, embezzle public funds and engage in corrupt conduct,” the EACC said in the petition filed before the anti-corruption division of the High court.
“There are reasonable grounds to suspect that the respondent herein has accumulated assets disproportionate to his known legitimate source of income and money in the listed SACCO accounts should be preserved pending completion of the subject investigations,” the EACC told Justice Maina.
The properties in question include 18 parcels of land in Nakuru and Kiambu counties, three apartment blocks in Nakuru and Nairobi, and nine vehicles.
EACC wants Njehia’s accounts at Stima Sacco Society Limited operated in his wife’s name frozen. The agency says Njehia has been using the Sacco, through his wife, as a conduit for illicit funds to avoid being caught.
In an affidavit, EACC investigator Shadrack Mwenda said they had been investigating allegations of bribery, conflict of interest, unexplained wealth and corrupt conduct by public officials at Ketraco when they discovered that Njehia was part of the scheme.
Mwenda alleged that Njehia was part of Ketraco cartels who have been demanding and receiving huge bribes from contractors.
“He used the illegally acquired funds to purchase shares at Stima Sacco in the name of Julie Hellen Matu. Investigations have revealed that purchase of the shares and deposits in the accounts were meant to conceal source and movement of the funds,” said Mwenda.
According to the investigator, internal investigations by Ketraco had indicted Njehia, who was accused of failing to appoint a tender committee, instructing Sh30 million payments to a contractor without authority and awarding some tenders without approval.
“The actions of Njehia and the circumstances under which some stated properties were acquired indicate that cash transactions were sent to the vendors immediately after executing the sale agreements, which raised suspicion to the source of his funds,” said Mwenda.
He added that when they conducted a search at Njehia’s house, they recovered Sh1.2 million in cash, which the manager and his wife failed to explain the source.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) says the multi-million shilling assets acquired by Peter Maina Njehia in the 11 years to 2021 were the proceeds of crime and do not match his known income.
The anti-graft agency moved to court in December 2021 and obtained orders freezing about Sh58.5 million held in several SACCO accounts under Mr Njehia’s name and that of his spouse.
Justice Esther Maina granted the order freezing the money for six months pending the conclusion of investigations.
The money frozen includes Sh25.4 million worth of shares in two accounts at Stima Sacco, Sh10 million shares in Unaitas, another Sh8.2 million shares in a different account at Unaitas and Sh930,000 in a dividend account at Unaitas.
The former Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) boss Fernandes Barasa has been summoned by the National Assembly Energy Committee over the Lake Turkana Wind Power contract.
The Public Investment Committee (PIC) say they will require Barasa’s presence to explain how he awarded the contract of the construction of the LTWP without being directly involved in the procurement.
This is after the acting Chief Executive Officer Anthony Wamukota failed to explain who authorized the award of the contract to a Spanish firm Isolux Corsan that ended up delaying the construction of the project forcing Ketraco to terminate the deal.
“There is a letter that has come up that the former Ketraco boss, Fernandes Barasa had indicated that there is the need to renegotiate the deal that generated energy. So, we need to ask the former Energy CS Charles Keter whether he was aware of the former Ketraco CEO, “Nassir, Abdullswamad Sheriff said.
Kenyans paid a Sh5.7 billion fine after Isolux Corsan failed to build the Loiyangalani-Suswa power transmission line to evacuate power from the Lake Turkana Wind Power.
The contract was handed over to a consortium of Chinese firms – Nari Group Corporation and Power China Guizhou Engineering Company.
Isolux was to build the line by August 2018 but Ketraco terminated the contract after the Spanish firm went into receivership.
The project was later completed in mid-2017 for Sh28 billion, but the line went live in September 2018.
Wamukota was yesterday pressed by members of the National Assembly Energy Committee to explain why the agency had failed to pay some of its bills in time leading to fines and penalties that have substantially increased its obligations.
“Some of these plots of lands that you were compensating don’t match, there are some people without names in the wayleave list but they have been listed as pending bills, some names appear up to 15 times, how do we substantiate this,” Embakasi South Member of parliament Julius Mawathe posed.
While defending himself the CEO said in the supplementary budget they were only looking to clear bills for work done and were not in any way going to pay those on the wayleave list.
Prior to appearing before the Gladwel Cheruiyot-chaired committee, the Auditor General’s special audit on Ketraco projects had raised red flags on major anomalies in procurement of the companies that undertook its power projects.
The committee also wanted to know why among all the firms contracted by Ketraco three of them had accumulated a total of Sh15 billion in pending bills from the total of Sh16.06 billion reported by the Controller of Budget on July 31, 2021.
Transport and energy state agencies have become the most sought after dockets in the country given high scale bribery and get rich quick schemes that is embedded in the institutions. Fernades Barasa, resigned from his CEO position at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) ahead of his time something that didn’t catch many by surprise because he was not only quitting to join politics but in a rush to run away with a Sh800 million hydropower mega scandal that he’s alleged to have been heavily engaged in.
For starters, Barasa’s tenure was blackened with scandals, with allegations of kickbacks and bribery, the now Kakamega Gubernatorial hopeful spent much of his stay in office cutting deals something that put him on the anti-corruption radar. Even as he exists, the ghosts of bribery continues to haunt Barasa who’s not only under DCI scope but EACC and ARA radar given his questionable fortunes much of which he has cleverly injected into his campaign machinery through a foundation run by his wife.
Even as Barasa exits the building, the basement remains the same.
Sources speaking to Kenya Insights say the company is currently under fire following the new chairman Joe Mutambu, acting managing director Anthony Wamukota and Joseph Siror who is the general manager, transmission lines.
According to inside sources, Mutambu and Wamukota have hatched a plot to frustrate and antagonize Siror, said to be academically and professionally superior to the two.
A Master’s degree is one of the key factors considered for one to occupy the CEO’s position but Siror was blocked from temporarily succeeding Barasa despite his Master’s and PhD in electrical engineering.
Many were surprised by Mutambu’s move to bring in Wamukota through the backdoor to the position despite his questionable academic background, following rumours that the acting MD is not a holder of Master’s degree.
Insiders lament that Mutambu is a direct opposite of his predecessor James Rege, described as a polished man who ensured a high level of professionalism during his tenure at the agency.
Sources say that since Mutambu joined Ketraco in April 2021 as the new chairman, the agency has been reduced to cutting deals, some of which border on extortion.
Mutambu’s critics at the troubled Ketraco have branded him a rogue who ensured that Wamukota was installed as the acting MD in efforts to cover up his dirty deals.
It is feared that the controversial chairman and his blue-eyed boy Wamukota have a potential of destroying the company based on their crude style of leadership.
Eng. Anthony Wamukota, Ag. Managing Director.
Ketraco commands a whooping Sh200 billion asset base making it one of the most lucrative agencies in the energy sector.
Drama ensued after the acting MD attempted to embarrass Siror before junior colleagues.
A section of the media reported a voice clip which exposed Wamukota instructing a pilot by the name Major Chirchir not to allow Siror to board the company chopper at Wilson Airport.
According to those in the know, the ugly incident took place on January 23 at a time when there was an electricity breakdown in Garissa.
This was quickly interpreted as sabotage of Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive. Many were dismayed by the uncouth act of blocking Siror from boarding the chopper to the scene yet he is in charge of restoring electricity.
According to sources, Siror is now seen as the enemy of the cartels led by the chairman and acting MD after he stood his ground and refused to make some perceived punitive orders from them.
He maintained that he would only take such orders through the blessings of the board.
Subsequently, the acting MD has countered by not approving the usage of budget in a bit to frustrate and label him as a failure.
Eng. Joseph Siror. General Manager, Systems Operations and Power Management.
A highly placed source at the company narrated hoe the chairman and the acting MD have colluded to take over the agency hostage leaving other vital offices as mere spectators as the duo badly soil the image of Ketraco. They have asked President Uhuru to crack the whip and restore sanity at the agency.
Contracts
The petition to the head of state comes amidst allegations that Wamukota is a person of interest as far as major contracts at the agency are concerned.
A section of the media associated the acting MD with JS Engineering and Luanda as his proxy companies. This has resulted to shoddy work as no one questions his decisions or the poor workmanship of the firms linked to him.
It is alleged that one of his firms was awarded a tender to reconstruct the recent fallen towers at Longonot.
The other projects he reportedly messed include 400Kv Isinya-Namanga, 200kV and Bura Garden.
It is said that he also has interest in another contract on a 200kV project about to start from Thika to Embu.
On the other hand, his crony, the besieged board chairman is said to be causing havoc that has left suppliers of the agency wondering how a wishy washy person was chosen to steer an organization of such magnitude within the energy sector.
The raging war at Ketraco has triggered debate into the chairman’s academic background wuth others opining that he’s boasting around with a fake title of captain. He has in the past claimed to be the engineer which was found to be false.
Those privy to his style style of operation say Mutambu has perfected the art of invoking the names of who is who in the country to scare and intimidate people at Ketraco and his other victims outside Ketraco.
Insiders describe Murambu as a man on a money minting spree and has allegedly siphoned millions of shillings through dirty dealings of which Kenya Insights has extensively covered.
His accusers state that he simply drops big names within the corridors of power and claims to be highly connected.
Despite the fact that he’s a merely honorary chairman and not an executive one, he ensures that he reports to Ketraco almost on a daily basis from early in the morning and only leaves at dark in the night.
It is alleged that it is a norm for the chairman to have a nocturnal operations after leaving the office where he ostensibly hops from one place to another using the company’s office vehicle.
A highly placed source said that the recent accident with the company’s vehicle is attributed to his underworld’s deals. “That’s the time he’s rumoured to be collecting kickbacks and cutting new deals,” an insider said.
He recently got tongues wagging after he allegedly forced officers at Ketraco to provide him with all the company’s bank account balances, procurement plan and pending procurement items.
Shockingly, he also ordered for the details of the available budget, details of contracts and other vital details of the organization structure.
Corruption
Corruption at Ketraco is not shocking, recently, a senior manager at the company had Sh58 million in his bank account frozen.
Justice Esther N. Maina froze various bank accounts belonging to Peter Maina Njehia with total amount of Sh 58,601,915.9.
Mr. Peter M. Njehia, Senior Manager, Supply Chain Management.
The court blocked Njehia from transferring or withdrawing money including Sh13, 557,385. 00 which is being held as share capital at stima sacco ltd, Sh11, 913,750.00 being held as deposit at Alpa, stima sacco, Sh10 million held in the shares account among others held in the name of Peter Njehia.
Justice Maina issued the orders following an urgent application filed by the EACC which argued that the money could be proceeds of crime.
The court orders have stopped Maina from withdrawing, or transacting in the said amounts until further orders of the court.
Eacc said it had been investigating Peter Maina Njehia , over claims he illegally and irregularly influenced tenders, procurement and payment of goods and services while serving as a senior manager, supply chain at Ketraco.
If a lifestyle audit is conducted on the management up including the adversely mentioned Mutambu, Barasa, Wamukota and everyone on top, the findings would be mind boggling.
Reach out to me anonymously if you have any further information on this matter and will do a follow up and publish findings. ([email protected])
For three consecutive days last week, the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee (PIC) was unable to extract any information from senior officials of three government entities on the State’s dealings with the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) company.
By coincidence or design, officials from National Treasury, Kenya Power and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco)were at a loss when they appeared before the committee, and in the end, failed to provide substantive information that the MPs were seeking.
They all asked for more time to gather all the required documents as well as prepare coherent statements for presentation.
This did not go down well with the MPs, who now feel that the State agencies are not taking the committee and the probe seriously. The chairman noted, separately, that each of the firms has had months to prepare for the committee sitting, having been notified last year.
While it could be coincidence that officials from Treasury and the energy sector players were unable to offer what the committee sought, it could also have to do with the subject matter.
The parliamentary committee has been probing the Lake Turkana Wind Power project after the Auditor General submitted to the House a special audit report that points to grave mistakes that were committed by government officials and have proved costly for the country.
Last week, the State officials performed a dance of sorts with the committee, responding to its queries in a shallow manner and without offering the details sought, while also failing to attach key documents to the reports they presented in Parliament.
“Allow me to look into the documentation and get back to the committee with the exact reason as to why this was the case,” said Kenya Power acting Chief Executive Rosemary Oduor in response to a number of queries that the committee posed to her on Thursday.
On Wednesday, National Treasury Principal Secretary Julius Muia did not provide the required information either, including attachments to the statement that he presented.
He said if allowed more time, Treasury would provide a “blow by blow account of the events” leading to the selection of LTWP to put up the plant in Marsabit County.
The previous day, Ketraco’s acting boss Anthony Wamukota appeared before PIC but also requested for more time. In his case, he wanted to familiarise himself with the responses that he said had been prepared by his predecessor, Fernandes Barasa.
Mr Barasa had resigned a day earlier (on Monday) reportedly to go into politics, but the MPs read mischief in his sudden exit, noting that he was the one supposed to appear before the committee.
MPs also argued that Eng Wamukota had been a general manager at Ketraco and should be familiar with what Barasa had authored and in a position to own it.
Wamukota responded that while he was a general manager under Baraza, he only contributed a segment of the report that the CEO had written to the committee and was not familiar with what other managers had given.
Fernades Barasa Role
There are credible reports that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is not taking the matter lightly and apparently detectives have been assigned to the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) over suspected embezzlement of taxpayers money through inflated contracts and fraudulent payments days sudden resignation of immediate former Managing Director Fernandes Barasa.
According to insiders who revealed the tense situation at Ketraco intimated that Barasa, internal auditors and senior managers from Finance and Supply chain at the Kawi House domiciled parastatal are among those cited as persons of interests.
While at Ketraco, Fernades was ever living on the edge and never had ease more so with anti-corruption heatwave that saw him spend most of the time out of his office.
For those familiar with his running, it was surprising that he quickly opted to resign a day before he was expected to appear before the Parliament’s Public Investments Committee (PIC) to answer questions over the Sh785 million special audit on the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project.
DCI boss Kinoti had walked into the hotel where Barasa was in company of other friends, he fled to the kitchen of the hotel on spitting Kinoti fearing that he had come to arrest him. At the time, Ketraco was under DCI probe following complaints lodged that the agency officials had swindled Sh14B land compensation to farmers for the Mombasa-Nairobi electricity transmission line, detectives believe billions were swindled in kickbacks.
However, Kinoti was on a different business and not to arrest the panicked CEO who fled away through the kitchen’s exit. He became a laughing stock amongst his peers.
Scandalous Path
Upon assuming office, for the first time in Ketraco’s history, Barasa announced multi-million controversial tender bids for provision of insurance brokerage services for all its substations countrywide three months after the exit of his predecessor Engineer Joel Kiilu.
Ketraco is one of the key parastatals under the Energy ministry-attracting heavy financing from the government and foreign donors majorly Japan and World Bank for mega electricity transmission projects across the country.
Currently, the firm controls an asset base of over Sh72billion.
This comes at a time the firm is entangled in a longstanding compensation deadlock with Kajiado residents over alleged varying compensation for the same pieces of land which has the same land value and assertions that Ketraco is hiving off more land than the one agreed on the agreement by colluding with surveyors.
Locals swore to block any undertaking to use their land as power way-leave until they are adequately reimbursed.
Ketraco offered to pay Kajiado Maasai landowners Sh250, 000 per acre.
Further, residents’ claim Ketraco has already confiscated title deeds and put caveats to the parcels of land in question.
Before compensation, the National land Commission (NLC) must make approval.
The land in question was owned by Olosho-Oibor Water Catchment Area, which Ketraco had to compensate for limiting its usage due to the construction of a transmission line from Suswa to Isinya that requires a 60-metre wayleave.
However, locals claim they were offered compensation at a rate of 40 per cent while Makueni County residents were being given 85 per cent.
Another scandal left on the face of Barasa is that of China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd that moved to court to stop Ketraco from proceeding with an award of Sh1.9 billion tender to a rival firm for the erection of underground power transmission cables.
It is not by surprise that in a similar scenario of the recent pylons sabotage that caused power outage in all parts of the country was intentional by the cartels in Ketraco and Kenya power to reap big in the tender process of new pylons procurement. Why Ketraco decided to award a firm a tender that would have been Sh. 403 million less when both the firms have the same caliber and of the same origin only means that the excess 403 million is kickback pocketed by Ketraco officials and the power cartels.
Barasa is expected to vie for Kakamega Gubernatorial seat, a position that he spent much of his time in office campaigning for. He will be going with ODM ticket. Party insiders are however hesitant to fully embrace him as he’s perceived to be a baggage given his heavily loaded corrupt trail, ODM has warned candidates with integrity issues could face axe for the party to maintain its face.
Polls however, rank Barasa amongst the leading contenders alongside Bonnie Khalwale and Cleophas Malala to takeover Kakamega County from the incumbent Wycliffe Oparanya.
EACC insists all candidates seeking public office must pass the integrity test and if that’s the case, it would be travesty to justice if Barasa cut above the bar given all the hanging financial hanging questions.
Going for a public office, the past record in public service would therefore be a key benchmark.
A Chinese firm – China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltdhas moved to court to stop a Power State agency KETRACO from proceeding with an award of Sh1.9 billion tender to a rival firm for the erection of underground power transmission cables.
China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd says in court documents that unless the court intervenes and stops the contract, Kenyans will lose in excess of Sh403 million.
It is not by surprise that in a similar scenario of the recent pylons sabotage that caused power outage in all parts of the country was intentional by the cartels in Ketraco and Kenya power to reap big in the tender process of new pylons procurement. Why Ketraco decided to award a firm a tender that would have been Sh. 403 million less when both the firms have the same caliber and of the same origin only means that the excess 403 million is kickback pocketed by Ketraco officials and the power cartels.
The company says the tender price quoted by the rival firm is very high and against the principle of prudent use of public funds.
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) awarded the tender to DEC-Hanhe Consortium for Sh1.94 in contravention of clause 28 and 35 of the tender document and the constitution.
Justice Jairus Ngaah has certified the case as urgent and the matter to be mentioned on January 25 for directions.
Court documents show that the Chinese company offered to carry the works for Sh1.5 billion but its bid was rejected on grounds that it was non-responsive at the preliminary evaluation stage.
The tender for the procurement of 132 KV underground cable for the Nanyuki-Rumuruti transmission line, was announced in March last year 2021. The Chinese firm says Ketraco introduced and applied an evaluation criteria not set out in the tender document.
“The 2nd respondent (Ketraco) took into account irrelevant considerations because there was no requirement under one of the clause of the tender document that all the projects previously done by us should have been executed using the XLPE technology-a form of cable technology,” read the documents.
The firm’s project manager Gao Li says Ketraco failed to take into account relevant considerations with respect to the tender’s technical requirements and in particular in its proposal indicating that the proposed project would be executed using the XLPE technology as the requirements in the tender document.
He says the decision to award the tender at a much higher tender price is in violation of the constitution and “prejudices the legitimate expectations of the Kenyan taxpayers for prudent utilisation of the meagre resources and to achieve value for public funds.”
Ketraco den of corruption
Peter Maina
Ketraco has been den of corruption with many of its officials being prosecuted over graft every now and then. It’s not long when a top procurement executive Peter Maina Njehia at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) risked losing 40 developed properties, eight cars and millions of shillings in bank accounts linked to bribes and kickbacks for State tenders.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said the multi-million shilling assets acquired by Peter Maina Njehia in the 11 years to 2021 were the proceeds of crime and do not match his known income.
The EACC however did not disclose the value of the real estate empire that includes rental apartments, farms for commercial agriculture and townhouses spread in Nairobi, Nakuru and Nyandarua counties. About Sh58.5 million held in several SACCO accounts under Mr Njehia’s name and that of his spouse were frozen.
The money frozen includes Sh25.4 million worth of shares in two accounts at Stima Sacco, Sh10 million shares in Unaitas, another Sh8.2 million shares in a different account at Unaitas and Sh930,000 in a dividend account at Unaitas.
Bruno Fernandez
Not forgetting former MD/CEO Fernandes Barasa who is now Kakamega County gubernatorial candidate. He looted the state agency to the brink of collapse, opened a charity foundation with the wife to launder the stolen funds from Ketraco dealings and now is vying for political seat to protect his ill acquired wealth.
One Hon. Capt. Joe Musyimi MUTAMBU has caused ripples at the Kenya Electricity Company Ltd where he sits as Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Staff and suppliers of the agency have been left to wonder how a “Thug” of that level was even chosen to steer an organization of such magnitude within the Energy sector.
So who is Joe Mutambu?
For starters, the man has no formal tertiary education although he boasts around with a fake title of Captain. Little is known of his education background and even the profile description at KETRACOs website is vague. According to sources talking to Kenya Insights, Mutambu is known to drop big names to scare and intimidate people at the agency. His goal is very simple, DIVIDE AND RULE!!! He has been heard threatening to sack Top Management.
“Let me put MUTAMBU’s character into perspective. Here is a little reminder – In 2015 he stole a Lorry belonging to Bishop Wahome and when the bishop attempted to repossess the lorry he descended on him with kicks and blows and even pointed his gun at him and threatened to shoot him. In 2016, while serving as MP for Mwingi, he was charged with assault for squeezing the private parts of Kitui Governor Julius Malombe’s political advisor – Charles Kyale thereby occasioning him actual bodily harm at a TanaAthi boardroom on February 23. Mutambu is also known to have raided a police station where over 30 youths he had hired to disrupt his opponents meeting were arrested. He later on went to a school where the students, parents and residents took to their heels fearing they would be attacked by the youths in the company of the then MP.” Says our source on condition of anonymity.
Joe Mutambu has been issued with several warrants of arrest and charged in court with many assault cases. He is basically a ‘mad’ man quite literally. Since his appointment in April 2020, MUTAMBU has siphoned hundreds of millions of shillings from KETRACO’s main contractors, subcontractors and project affected land owners. How does he do it? He simply drops big names within the corridors of power and claims to be highly connected.. he operates by bullying people and instilling ‘fear’ with his gun to have his way.. as a matter of fact, while he is an Independent Chairman and not an executive chairman, he reports to KETRACO every day from 7am and leaves way after 9pm. Once he leaves office he Is said to operate overnight hopping from one place to another using the Company’s official vehicle collecting his kickbacks and cutting deals way past midnight before he shows up again at 7am the next morning! His drivers and bodyguards have been witnessed sleeping throughout the day from night duties out of fatigue when the rogue chairman is busy holding meetings and collecting information from all levels staff at the agency. Recently, he forced officers at the agency to provide him with all the Company’s bank account balances, the procurement plan and pending procurement items, details of the available budget, details of contracts including demanding phone numbers of key contractors and details of the organization structure and vacancies within the agency. ‘ MUTAMBU does not care about laws, regulations or procedure… he will simply order you to do one or two things completely outside the law or procedure and if you hesitate he threatens to finish you….. “ said one of the officers who did not want to be mentioned. On matters Governance, Board members who we reached out to confirmed that they have ‘struggled’ with some decisions and how he runs board business.
He has no knowledge of the difference between management and Board roles and responsibilities and interferes with Management work. He literally supervises staff and engages in Project Management. “No level of training can help Mutambu. I mean the guy can barely converse in proper English. He’s not interested in Governing the company. He’s there to siphon as much money as he can within the shortest time possible. The Chairman is simply a streetwise Thug in a smart suit and if he is left to continue running KETRACO the way he does, he is going to sink that organization the Kenya Power way…” said one of our sources.
Lately he has been overusing the Company’s chopper to run his own affairs. He recently caused the company to advertise for the position of Chief Pilot Where he intends to bring his own pilot, one who can shuffle him around. This is despite the freeze in recruitment in the entire energy sector. He behaves like a project manager and visits project sites to cut deals and threaten foreign contractors. Some foreign chinesenationals are e approached confessed that the chairman once threatened to deport them back to China if they did not assign his cronies subcontract works.
MUTAMBU’s past is well known having been severally arrested for various assault charges. What is baffling is how such a person Has been allowed to run KETRACO in such a manner. Where is the Inspectorate of State Corporations? Where is the State Corporations Advisory Committee? Why are EACC and DCI sleeping on the job?
Timelines initially set by the the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) for the completion of the Sh120 billion Kenya-Ethiopia electricity transmission line now appears to have been delayed.
Already, the Ethiopian government is said to have petitioned the parliamentary committee on energy, seeking an immediate intervention following delays on the mega infrastructural project.
Ethiopia says that they have already completed their part of their deal, solely putting the blame on Kenya for the delay.
Failure to compensate farmers in Maraigushu, Naivasha who have been affected by the transmission line is said to be the main cause for the delay.
The Energy committee is now calling on the National Land Commission (NLC) to conduct a fresh evaluation on several disputed pieces of land which KETRACO was supposed to compensate affected families.
The committee chairperson David Gikaria said that the first evaluation was conducted in 2013 accusing KETRACO of delaying payments. A liaison committee was also expected to be formed to address the matte.
“We handed over our recommendation to the implementation committee in parliament and we are shocked that KETRACO which got the Sh8B compensation funds has not done its part,”Said Gikaria who further noted that, “We were in Ethiopia last month and the Minister of Energy was complaining about failure by Kenya to complete its part of the project thus affecting planned evacuation of electricity,”
Several farmers have accused the electricity transmission agency of using ‘force’ to evict them from the farm without following the proper compensation channels.
“Some of the farmers have been arrested while demanding their rightful dues and currently the prices of land in this area have changed and hence the need for revaluation,” Said Naivasha East MCA Stanley Karanja.
KETRACO is said to have erected huge masts in farms despite not compensating land owners.
“Already half of our land has been affected by the power line but KETRACO has refused to hear our cries and hence the continued suffering,” Said Mary Wanja, farmer in the area.
