Nairobi, October 25, 2025: A firestorm of scandal has engulfed Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Philip Mainga, exposing a cesspool of corruption, illicit affairs, and a brazen plot to cling to power past his looming retirement.
With taxpayers’ billions allegedly funneled to mistresses and a fiancée through shady tenders, and whispers of bribes to extend his term beyond February 2026, Mainga’s empire of greed now faces a high-stakes courtroom reckoning on November 19.
This is the story of a railway boss accused of turning a public institution into a personal piggybank, plundering land, rigging contracts, and betraying the nation’s trust in a saga that could derail Kenya’s transport sector.
Governance activist Abdinur Wario ignited this explosive drama with a petition to the Employment and Labour Relations Court, demanding Mainga’s ouster.
At 59, Mainga is nearing the mandatory retirement age for public servants, yet he’s allegedly refusing to take terminal leave, instead orchestrating a clandestine campaign to extend his tenure through bribes to board allies.
Wario’s filing calls this a direct assault on integrity, transparency, and merit, accusing Mainga of dodging rules that should see him exit gracefully.
Sources reveal a desperate bid to outmaneuver President Ruto’s anti-graft crackdowns, with Mainga leaning on cronies to secure an unlawful extension, a tactic he’s allegedly pulled off before.
The juiciest revelation? Mainga’s love life is bleeding public coffers dry. Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are circling a staggering 88.2 million shilling tender awarded to First Choice General Supplies, a shadowy outfit linked to his long-time fiancée.
This deal, cloaked in backdated documents and single-sourced without competitive bidding, allegedly flouted the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act of 2015, bypassing the 30 million shilling threshold for public tenders.
Social media is ablaze with outrage, with Kenyans demanding the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Director of Public Prosecutions drag Mainga to court.
Posts on X scream of favoritism, with some alleging other “side chicks” scored similar sweetheart deals, turning Kenya Railways into a playground for Mainga’s romantic entanglements.
Parliament has already grilled him over these procurement scams, uncovering a pattern of restricted bidding that reeks of corruption.
But the rot runs deeper. Mainga’s reign has allegedly unleashed a land-grabbing spree that would make a bandit blush. Over 544 prime parcels of Kenya Railways land in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa have vanished into private hands, what Wario calls a “systematic plunder of public assets.”
In Limuru and Kikuyu, railway station lands mysteriously changed ownership under Mainga’s watch. Siwani Estate in Nakuru was carved into 22 plots and leased out without transparent bidding, a feast for connected insiders.
Then there’s the Dupoto/Dafur Settlement Scheme, where proxies pocketed payouts for fictitious claims, draining billions.
The Standard Gauge Railway, a national flagship, is another black hole: activists accuse Mainga of mismanaging 700 billion shillings in irregular extensions and unchecked deals with Chinese operator Afristar, costing taxpayers 1.4 million shillings daily.
Mainga’s response to leaks exposing this chaos? Threats and purges.
In April 2024, he allegedly issued terror threats to “arrest” staffers spilling secrets, as tensions with ousted board chair Captain Mohammed Abdi erupted.
He’s accused of rigging a recruitment drive, pocketing bribes to install Benedict Kiema Kavua, a tainted figure, in a key role while sidelining Luhya staffers who dared question him.
Retirees are suffering too, with Mainga summoned by Parliament over a 19-year delay in 21.9 million shillings in dues.
He even faces six months in jail for defying court orders in a Lavington eviction dispute, cementing his image as a law unto himself.
As the November 19 court date looms, Wario’s crusade, amplified by a furious chorus on X, demands Mainga’s immediate sacking to stop the “widespread governance failures” that have saddled Kenya Railways with a 738 billion shilling debt bomb.
Calls for raids by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and a full board purge are growing louder. Kenyans are seething, asking if Mainga’s web of lovers, bribes, and cronies will keep his gravy train chugging or if justice will finally derail him. One thing is clear: the rails of Kenya Railways have never been shakier.
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