Land of scandals

The oil and maize scandals are just the latest in a string of dubious deals, which have dogged the Grand Coalition Government since it came to power nearly a year ago.

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This is despite an assurance by President Kibaki that corruption would be a thing of the past during his term at the helm.

During the start of his second term in December 2007, President Kibaki pledged to ensure that any of his Cabinet ministers implicated in corruption would be suspended until cleared of such accusations.

Despite this, the Government has hopped from one crisis to another, with senior officials including Cabinet ministers, being implicated in corruption.

Among the latest scandals were the irregular transactions involving the Kenya Pipeline Company and Triton Limited in which financiers risk losing up to Sh7.6 billion.

Irregular payment

The Kenya Tourism Board is still reeling from revelations that its former managing director, Dr Ong’ong’a Achieng’, authorised an irregular payment of Sh43 million to two private companies.

Between April and June last year, the scandal involving the sale of the Grand Regency Hotel, now Laico Regency, threatened to split the bond that has kept PNU and ODM together since the signing of the National Accord, which ended two months of fighting after the December 2007 presidential election.

The secret sale of the five-star hotel to a Libyan company was made public by Lands minister James Orengo in June. As a result, the then Finance minister Amos Kimunya was censured by Parliament, and he resigned from his post to pave way for investigations into the deal.

The hotel, which was formerly owned by businessman Kamlesh Pattni, was sold for Sh2.9 billion amid claims that it could have fetched Sh7 billion in the open market.

Around the same period, Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang’ found himself in trouble following accusations that he had allowed issuing of work permits to foreigners in questionable circumstances.

Mr Kajwang’ was accused of ignoring advice from his technical officers to give work permits to eight members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — a salesman and a welder — all foreigners who had not met the requirements for being considered as investors. Some of them were accused of doing jobs that could have been done by Kenyans.

Even though the minister maintained that he acted within the law and was also absolved by the parliamentary committee on National Security, he was questioned by Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission detectives who revealed an elaborate cartel of brokers who were making billions of money at the ministry.

The minister’s personal assistant was also arrested during the investigations. On September 25, Somali pirates hijacked a ship carrying military tanks and arms. The Ukrainian vessel, MV Faina, was hijacked off the Kenyan coast with 33 T-72 Russian-made tanks, rocket propelled grenades, 23 anti-aircraft guns and ammunition.

Kenya insisted that the weapons were meant for its military, but a US Navy spokesman said the arms were imported by Kenya on behalf of Southern Sudan.