Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) Director General Silas Kinoti is in the eye of another storm after allegations emerged of proxy companies registered through close family and relatives.
It has emerged that a cabal of friends operating under the guidance of Henry Muriira Mbaabu, alias Chairman has in the recent past exerted undue pressure on contractors currently working on various sites across the country to extort cash.
Using a firm Interlink which trades in anything from petroleum, road construction, importation of rice and sugar, and anything else, is managed by Mbaabu on behalf Kinoti.
But, Interlink is not any ordinary firm. It is a Special Purpose Vehicle for the high and mighty from Meru and Tigania.
It’s a big league firm, taking big risks incorporating , the who is who in Meru County, the current Senator, current Governor and other senior politicians from there. Some of their offices are in Upper Hill, others in Karen exclusively in secretive locations in Nairobi, Meru and Mombasa.
With the blessings of Kinoti, Mbaabu is said to have unfettered access to KURA offices and sites threatenng staff and contractors alike.
“DG Kinoti (Silas) uses Mbaabu as a contractor. Like many senior people in society, the DG has ensured that though he’s a mere Forrm 4 school leaver, with no formal training in any known field, he takes full advantage of him for his own selfish means,” said a senior engineer at KURA.
According to another officer at the roads agency, Kinoti has surrounded himself with contractors and prequaliified individuals to win tenders and jobs when the arise.
“Despite the Chapter 6 of the Constitution requirements that bar State officers from trading with the institutions they work for, Kinoti has ensured he and others, mostly Kikuyus, have several companies but Kinoti’s name doesn’t appear. This is not only conflict of interest, but fraud and deception,” says another senior officer at the agency.
It is believed all the medium to small contraction works are 90 per cent allocated to himself through these proxies.
Staff at KURA offices openly talk about the clear abuse of power and office and often share the information with the media when they can.
“It is an interesting situation here. Staff within the offices are aware of the unethical things that happen at KURA but are afraid to talk. Even the media is compromised. All editors in the country are Kinoti’s friends. They collect money from him everyday. It is hard to expose such things and the DG is taking advantage by bribing the media,” Alfred Tanui a staff at the EACC said when asked to confirm the allegations
According to senior DCI and EACC officials, they only investigate matters that are backed with evidence.
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