Insiders reveal shocking details of how the once-powerful roads chief crumbled under pressure
The corridors of power witnessed unprecedented drama when the former Kenya Rural Roads Authority Director General Philemon Kandie reportedly broke down in tears and lost control of his bladder during a tense board meeting that sealed his fate.
According to well-placed sources within KeRRA, what was supposed to be a routine board session turned into a theatrical spectacle as Kandie realized his carefully cultivated network of allies had abandoned him when push came to shove.
Whispers from the boardroom paint a picture of a man who had grown accustomed to wielding influence through his “ill-equipped wealth” suddenly finding himself isolated. Board members who had previously been in his pocket reportedly kept telling the increasingly distraught Kandie that “orders from above had to be obeyed.”
The drama reached its peak when Kandie, sensing the walls closing in, excused himself from the meeting to make frantic phone calls. Sources say he desperately tried to reach Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and other power brokers, but his calls went unanswered.
“He came back sweating profusely, talking to himself in Kalenjin language,” revealed one insider who witnessed the spectacle. The once-confident administrator was reportedly reduced to tears, “flowing like a baby,” as the reality of his situation sank in.
The final blow came via a phone call from State House, after which Kandie, still weeping, signed his resignation letter. Sources suggest Transport Cabinet Secretary David Chirchir had contacted State House when Kandie initially refused to step down.
Perhaps most chilling was the reported message delivered to Kandie: “mambo ni matatu” – either resign, get arrested, or face dire consequences. The choice, it seems, was no choice at all.
Since his dramatic exit, Kandie has reportedly gone into hiding at his Nairobi residence, with no visitors allowed. His downfall stems from investigations into how KeRRA paid contractors Sh200 million beyond agreed amounts, ballooning a Sh1.22 billion budget to Sh1.42 billion – a violation of the Public Finance Management Act.
Perhaps most damaging to Kandie’s reputation are claims that he had been blacklisted but used millions to buy his way into the coveted position. If true, this would explain the dramatic nature of his removal and his apparent shock at being abandoned by those he thought he had purchased.
The Kandie saga serves as a stark reminder that in Kenya’s political landscape, loyalty is often transactional, and when the political winds shift, even the most well-connected can find themselves crying alone in boardrooms, their carefully constructed networks crumbling like houses of cards.
What remains to be seen is whether this dramatic fall from grace will lead to further investigations into the culture of corruption that apparently allowed a blacklisted individual to purchase such a sensitive position in the first place.
