Nairobi — Kenya’s political scene was rocked this Thursday morning after fiery blogger Maverick Aoko took to social media with jaw-dropping allegations against Brian Higgins Mbugua, the Deputy Executive Director of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
In a no-holds-barred post laced with crude language and scandalous claims, Aoko accused Higgins of indulging in wild escapades during an official benchmarking trip to China all allegedly funded by Kenyan taxpayers.
According to Aoko’s thread, Higgins, alongside digital strategist Dennis Itumbi, was allegedly involved in pimping activities, neglecting official duties, and spending public money on sex tourism. The most shocking of her claims? That Higgins skipped official meetings in China to binge drink and engage in escapades with transgender sex workers in local brothels — spending as much as 28,000 yuan (around KSh 500,000) in one night.
“Guy didn’t attend a single meeting!” Aoko wrote. “He was always drunk and in Chinese brothels with Ching Chong transgenders,” she added, using language that has since drawn backlash online for being offensive and transphobic.
Aoko even threatened to release graphic images allegedly showing the UDA official receiving explicit services during the trip. “Aseme ng’we nitoe picha akipewa blow job na shemale,” she posted in Swahili slang, claiming to possess photographic evidence of the act.
The post included a screenshot of a text message, supposedly from Higgins, suggesting a conversation about travel arrangements but without further context, its authenticity or connection to the allegations remains unverified.
Screenshot shared by Maverick Aoko.
The UDA party and Brian Higgins have yet to respond to the claims. However, given the gravity of the accusations and their political implications, pressure is mounting on the ruling party to address the controversy.
While some netizens have cheered Aoko for “exposing corruption and moral rot,” others have slammed the post as defamatory, discriminatory, and a distraction from real issues. Human rights defenders have particularly called out the transphobic language used, calling for more responsible public discourse even in matters of political accountability.
As the online storm brews and #Higgins trends on Kenyan Twitter, one thing is clear — this tea Thursday has delivered more drama than even the most seasoned gossip mongers anticipated.
Disclaimer: These are unverified claims made by an individual. The persons mentioned have not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
The appointment of Adhan Sheikh Abdullah as a board member of the lucrative Kenya Sugar Board has opened a Pandora’s box of an unknown figure in the murky world of state tenders.
According to controversial social media figure Maverick Aoko, Mr. Adhan allegedly played a key role in the edible oil scandal where taxpayers lost over Sh16 billion in what was described as the first corruption scandal of the Kenya Kwanza government.
Aoko claims, citing sources, that Adhan was used by Moses Kuria, who was then the Trade Cabinet Secretary, as a conduit in executing the scam. However, it is unclear how exactly he performed the alleged role. It’s common for political godfathers to keep their have clean by using others while enjoying the biggest chunk unscathed.
Perhaps for fear of further exposure, Adhan, who previously posted photos showing his opulent lifestyle on social media, soon deactivated his accounts after Aoko made the claims.
Following the edible oil scandal, Kuria was transferred from the ministry. The ripple effect of the scandal, which blew up in the public eye, saw several officials fired and arrested, including the then-CEO of the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC), Pamela Mutua. According to the grapevine, Mutua had threatened not to go down alone and had vowed to take Kuria down with her, as both allegedly orchestrated the fraud.
Newspaper gist.
The Edible Oil Scandal:
In 2023, the KNTC, under the guidance of then-Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, was tasked with importing edible oils to stabilize market prices amidst rising living costs. The procurement process, however, became mired in controversy when it was revealed that select companies, allegedly with government connections, were awarded contracts without competitive bidding.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Trade, Industrialization, and Tourism, senior KNTC officials admitted that Kenyans could have lost in excess of Sh6.6 billion in the scandal.
They admitted to spending Ksh 14.4 billion on importing the oil but were forced to sell it at a lower price, resulting in a significant financial shortfall. The companies involved in importing the oil included Multi Commerce FZC, which shipped in 1.97 million units and was paid $69.89 million (Ksh 11.18 billion); Charma Holdings Limited, which imported 499,174 jerricans and received $14.97 million (Ksh 2.39 billion); and Shehena Holdings, which brought in 13,420 units and was paid $402,600 (Ksh 64.4 million).
Peter Njoroge, the acting Managing Director of KNTC, acknowledged the loss, citing that the oil was sold at a cheaper rate due to dollar fluctuations, which fell from $160 at the time of import to $130 later. He attributed the losses to mistakes made by the former management, which cost taxpayers over Ksh 6 billion. Njoroge expressed regret, assuring the Senate that lessons had been learned and future procurement would be handled differently, including conducting transactions in Kenyan Shillings.
Purity Kimathi, KNTC’s General Manager for Finance and Business Development, informed the senators that each jerrican should have been sold for Ksh 4,813 to break even. However, they sold it for Ksh 3,700, leading to substantial losses. She pointed out additional overhead costs, such as foreign exchange losses and storage charges, that contributed to the Ksh 6.6 billion deficit.
In addition to the initial losses, it was revealed that a separate sale of uncleared jerricans at the port to Enviro Pro Kenya Limited also resulted in a Ksh 500 million loss. A total of 797,574 jerricans, originally owned by Multi Commerce, Charma Holdings, and Shehena Holdings, were sold at Ksh 3,028 per jerrican, significantly below the Ksh 3,700 price they sold to the public.
Njoroge explained that the lower selling price to Enviro Pro Kenya was due to the exemption from Value Added Tax (VAT) and the impending expiration of the oil, which was set for May of the next year. He emphasized the need to sell the oil before it expired to avoid further losses. The revelations sparked outrage among the Senate committee members, who accused KNTC of being run by criminals and called for accountability.
The Appointment to the Sugar Board:
Despite these allegations, Adhan Sheikh Abdullah’s recent appointment to the Kenya Sugar Board has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum. The appointment was announced amidst a reshuffle in state agencies, with Abdullah’s nomination seen by some as a move to reward loyalty or silence potential whistleblowers within the administration.
Incidentally, Salim Mvurya, who took over the ministry immediately after Kuria, was in hot water last year for allegedly influencing the appointment of an official implicated in the scandal to a plum post.
Ms. Lucy Anangwe was appointed managing director of the KNTC despite being implicated in the procurement scandal, which is the subject of ongoing investigations by state authorities.
Ms. Anangwe was the General Manager in charge of Strategy, Risk, and Compliance at KNTC, and her promotion came despite advice from the Chairman of the KNTC Board, Mr. Hussein Debasso.
Questions were raised as to why her former colleagues at KNTC, with whom she was involved, had been sent home but she had not.
Documents show that on November 5, 2024, CS Mvurya wrote to Mr. Debasso recommending the appointment of Ms. Anangwe as KNTC managing director to replace Ms. Pamela Mutua, who was sacked and charged in court over the edible oil scandal.
Critics argue that this appointment undermines the government’s commitment to fighting corruption, as Abdullah’s name has been associated with the edible oil scandal. His role at the Kenya Sugar Board, which oversees the regulation, development, and promotion of the sugar industry in Kenya, is seen by some as a strategic placement to influence or benefit from policy decisions in another critical sector.
Netizens have expressed concern over the implications of such appointments, suggesting that they could erode public trust in government institutions. The appointment has sparked a debate on the criteria used for selecting members of state boards, with calls for more transparent and merit-based selections rather than what appears to some as political patronage or protection.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino says online activist and former journalist Scophine Aoko Otieno alias Maverick Aoko is safe.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Babu said that he had been in constant communication with Aoko’s father, who has confirmed that she is fine.
This follows weeks of speculations on the activist’s whereabouts after she went missing on October 22, 2024.
“I have been talking to Maverick Aoko’s dad and he keeps confirming to me that Aoko is safe,” Babu stated.
Aoko’s disappearance
Aoko, who has been a vocal government critic on X lastly posted on her X account on October 22, 2024, before going mute across all platforms.
On October 28, 2024, a statement was issued through her X account, claiming to be from her aide revealing the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
According to the statement, Aoko had travelled from her rural home to attend a meeting and a court session. However, she found that her house in Nairobi had been broken into.
“Hi, this is Aoko’s aide. I’m tweeting using her account with the blessings of her dad. After her arrest, she opted to stay with family upcountry only going to Nairobi for meetings & Court. Two weeks ago, upon her return to Nairobi, she found her main door clobbered at the hinges. She called me panicked. I asked her to take pictures and leave. She decided not to say it to prevent drawing attention that she was around,” the statement read in part.
The statement claims that family and friends thought that the former journalist had decided to stay low after sensitive posts she had done online, only to discover she could have disappeared.
“We still don’t know her whereabouts. To whom do we report? If they (the police) took her, we’re asking that they produce her, if she is hiding, we pray that she is safe and will reach out in whatever discreet way just so we can all have peace of mind,” the statement added.
On October 28, 2024, Babu, a close friend of the activist, said that no one knew where the activist was.
“@AokoOtieno_ has been missing for days and her whereabouts is not known. I have reached out to her family members and close friends, but no one knows where she is!!” Babu Owino said in a public message on Monday, October 28, 2024.
A new statement was issued through her X account on November 1, 2024, claiming that she had been found at the Kenya-Tanzania border.
“Update: She’s been found at the Kenya-Tanzania border. Her family was called from a hospital. She was taken there by an unidentified person who said they found her outside their gate. Don’t know much at the moment, but the father is on his way there. Will keep you updated. Thank you for standing with her,” the statement claimed to be from her aide added.
The family is yet to issue a public statement regarding the matter.
