From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

Jacob from Nairobi writes: “Fr Beste I agree with your recent article that President Uhuru cannot do away with cartels of corruption in his Jubilee government and that corruption is in every government sector, from bottom to the top.

Father it is very sad that Sh3.9 billion used by NHIF to build a multi-storey car park at Upper Hill in Nairobi cannot be justified according to report by Auditor-General Edward Ouko. The audit also questions a decision by NSSF to invest more than Sh1.1 billion of workers’ money in public forests, which are gazetted areas, and which cannot be owned or developed. This is terrible.

Even though during the National Dialogue Conference on the rising wage bill last week, President Uhuru criticised NSSF’s investment policy, there is nothing much he can do to recover the stolen money”.

I am glad you have realized this Jacob. President Uhuru cannot do away with cartels of corruption in his Jubilee government because these are powerful brokers targeting multi-billion shilling government tenders.

These are the same “mafia style operators” who were involved in the multi-billion shilling Anglo-Leasing scandal, whose debt the national Treasury has not recovered since it was exposed in 2002.

These mafias are known. Even Jubilee leaders close to Uhuru have admitted they cannot be exposed publicly because they are individuals well known by Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto “since they are hiding under government skirts”.

It explains why, even thoug the President and his deputy were given seven days to name these people who have perfected the art of corruption through successive governments but has since never exposed them.

These are the same mafias who are behind the standard gauge railway project scandal, laptops among other tenders.

That is also why the directives by the Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobiko that former Cabinet minister Amos Kimunya is prosecuted over alleged abuse of office and fraudulent disposal and acquisition of public property means nothing.

The charges are in connection with a 25 acre piece of public land in Njambini, Nyandarua County that was part of a 75-acre plot reserved by the Agriculture ministry for a potato seed multiplication project.

Kimunya, while Lands minister during President Mwai Kibaki’s government, caused part of the land to be allocated to Midlands, a company in which he was a director and shareholder, without the consent of the Agriculture ministry.

Kimunya held various ministerial posts during the 10 years of Kibaki presidency with scandals but Kibaki never laid hands on him. He started as Land minister before moving to Finance, Trade and finally Transport, all with scandals.

Even after Kimunya was defeated by his former ally Samuel Gichigi in the March 2013 elections after which he retired to a quiet private life, Kimunya is still powerful and close ally to Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kimunya is aware of this that is why when he was forced to cut short his appearance before the Public Investments Committee after was declared a hostile witness while testifying on the standard gauge railway project, Uhuru never mentioned anything about him.

It explains further, why in 2008 when Parliament passed a vote of no confidence against Kimunya while he was serving as Finance minister over the sale of the Grand Regency Hotel, now Laico Regency, instead Kibaki reinstated him, this time as minister for trade.

Kimunya then criticized the Parliamentary Finance committee over the Grand Regency report, accusing the MPs of focusing on his character instead of proving that there was corruption. It was alleged that Kibaki new about the sale of the Hotel since he was part of it.

That is also why as Finance minister, when Kimunya was involved in controversies over the Safaricom privatisation and the De la Rue currency printing contract, Kibaki could not sack him, and instead he kept silence about the issue.

While in 2010, when MPs accused Kimunya, while Transport minister, of making appointments from one community only at the Kenya Ports Authority, in August 2012 when he became entangled in the cancellation of a Sh55 billion tender for the construction of a new terminal at the JKIA, he was untouchable.

Even after the Public Procurement and Oversight Authority later declared Kimunya’s actions regarding the airport tender illegal, Kibaki could not take any action against him. Instead the PPOA reinstated the Chinese firm that was originally awarded the tender.

The same powerful mafias have now hijacked the National Social Security Fund’s (NSSF) two housing upgrade projects worth Sh12 billion in Nairobi, leading to award of the contracts to a Chinese firm.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com

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