Three months ago, KCB Group company secretary Joseph Kania in a statement to the Nairobi Securities Exchange announced the retirement of Adil Khawaja as Non-Executive Director of KCB board. This action seemed procedural and timely. But Khawaja was probably forced out by panicked bank over money laundering claims and Khawaja’s close ties with DP Ruto and his questionable sources of immense wealth.
In May 2020 for instance, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) flagged a multimillion-shilling transaction. On 14th May 2020, the I&M Bank account of Adil Khawaja transferred Kshs.314 million to an account held by a Mr Tanui. Mr. Tanui is a cousin to Deputy President William Ruto. Tanui on the same day, withdrew Shs.240 million in cash.
On the day the transfer and withdrawal happened, CBK flagged the transaction and KCB gave supporting documents of a tender supply payment at Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC). The person that signed off on the CBK query was KCB CEO Joshua Oigara. The sign off, was to indicate that the transaction was above board. But of concern to the regulator was why a non-executive director of KCB who is also the Deputy President’s lawyer was sending such an amount to a cousin of the Deputy President. More troubling, however, is why the CEO involvement in such a transaction in less than an hour after CBK’s red flag.
Usually a signature from a head of treasury department with a sign off from the Bank manager would be sufficient.
The regulator activated the CBK anti-fraud unit to investigate the suspicious transfer of monies. The investigation revealed that Adil Khawaja transferred money and advised Joshua Oigara to draft a response to CBK, in the event CBK flagged the transaction. At the time of the transaction, Joshua sent a message to a lady known as Veronica Nyabuto and asked her to ‘collect and deposit’ a parcel from Capital Club where Adil is a member. On 15th May, Ms. Veronica deposited 16 million shillings in her KCB account. CBK sleuths believe this was a bribe given by Adil (on behalf of Ruto) to Joshua Oigara.
However, this is not to be the first time that KCB linked with a transaction of the Deputy President. KEMSA saga for instance, Caresha Healthcare solutions company received Shs.135 million for supplying masks. The company has an account at KCB. Caresha is owned by Carolyne Cheruto Kitur who is a sister in law to DP Ruto. Of the Shs135 Million deposited, documents in our possession show that Shs.95 million was deposited in Adil Khawaja’s account. The same pattern of advice regarding drafting response queries to CBK was repeated. Joshua like clockwork drafted the response letter but then delegated the sign off to a Mr Lawrence Kimathi, the KCB CFO.
The infamous Kilig company transaction with KEMSA too has some link with DP Ruto. Ruto’s proxy in this transaction is a son to a Moi era bureaucrat, Gichuru, who is wanted in Jersey, U.K for committing financial crimes. The man is husband to a well known former TV anchor. His company received slightly over Shs.2 Billion from KEMSA supplies. This time round lawyer Katwa Kigen was Ruto’s proxy. The son to the bureaucrat wired Shs.1.7B in tranches to Mr Kigen. And just like clockwork Oigara signed off on the CBK query letter.
Ruto family firm, koelel was recently linked to taking up major supply tenders of meat at the Kenya Meat Commission at the expense of pastoralists communities who have large herds of cattle a move pundits claims could have necessitated and exercabated unorthodoxy transfer from ministry of agriculture to Defense ministry.
Koelel Limited, which had secured a tender to supply beef worth Ksh. 175,000,000 has Nicholas Ruto as the owner and major shareholder to that effect. Nicholas Ruto is the son to the Deputy President. A local purchase Order issued on 3rd July 2020 directed payment of the same amount for supply of beef.
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