By Kenyan Bulletin
Disgraced KEMSA billionaire Richard Ngatia’s ambitions to be the next City Hall boss have suffered a major blow following the development of serious questions surrounding his education credentials.
The affluent president for Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) now risks disqualification from the Nairobi gubernatorial race after government officials in the United Kingdom disowned his purported university degree which is obligatory for all candidates seeking the position.
In a statement issued on Monday, March 14th, 2022, the United Kingdom Department for Education denied having any data to prove that the Managing Director of medical firm Megascope Healthcare Limited has ever studied at any institution of higher learning in the country.
The British Commissioner of Education the Director-General answerable for Higher and Further Education Paul Kett, the Further Education Commissioner acknowledged that there is no single university within the UK that has ever admitted the billionaire tenderpreneur.
“It has come to the knowledge of the Further Education Commissioner that there is a politician from Kenya by the name Richard Ngatia who claims to have studied at a University in the United Kingdom,” they noted in part of the statement.
“To the best of our knowledge, we would wish to state as follows; there is no University within the territory of the United Kingdom that has ever admitted Mr. Richard Ngatia, or any other student from Kenya by that name, as student in the UK.” they added.
According to the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the law requires at least a University diploma in order to be eligible for the position of Governor.
And with Ngatia’s shady papers now left badly exposed, it would not be a surprise if the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) decides to bar him from contesting in the August 9th polls.
If this happens, it would present a major political challenge to both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga who are said to view the billionaire tenderpreneur as the de facto choice for the city’s top job.
But in Ngatia’s largely scandalous career, this latest unmasking of his substandard papers is simply a minor addition to a cupboard full of hidden skeletons.
Megascope, KNCCI: This man Richard Ngatia
Although unknown to many, prior to his entry into politics, Ngatia had enjoyed a prominent role in Kenya’s national politics but often kept his dealings out of the limelight.
It is through this influence that he built a sprawling business empire that stretches beyond the country’s borders and straddles both the medical sector as well as the hospitality Industry.
In fact, thanks to his vast wealth, he was among a handful of billionaires who contributed to Uhuru’s successful re-election campaign in June 2017.
And as we all know, such political gifts are almost always handsomely repaid.
It is, therefore, not shocking that his company, Megascope Healthcare Limited, has been a major corporate player in the healthcare industry in Kenya over the past half a decade.
Megascope is a key provider of healthcare equipment leasing for county governments.
The company supplies, installs, trains personnel, commissions and maintains healthcare equipment.
To put it into better perspective, Megascope maintains 98 per cent of theatre equipment in 219 operating rooms of 115 government hospitals.
In his late 40s, Ngatia is a guru in the business world.
KEMSA Scandal
But most notably, in September 2021, a report by the Senate revealed that Megascope was at the centre of the Sh63 billion medical kits scandal that was conceived like a criminal enterprise.
At the time, his company was said to be among firms that landed lucrative tenders from KEMSA.
From documents tabled in Parliament, Megascope was awarded contracts worth over Sh1 billion.
At the time, Ngatia’s company was among firms that landed lucrative tenders from KEMSA.
From documents tabled in Parliament, Megascope was awarded contracts worth over Sh1 billion.
The scandal triggered national outrage that saw the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) summon many top dogs close to power as it sought to uncover the rot.
Some of the things that stood out, for instance, is how Megascope was awarded a Sh765 million contract by KEMSA for the supply of personal protective equipment.
It also got a tender for the supply of SV300 ventilators at Sh165 million and a Sh35 million deal to supply KN95 masks at Sh700 each.
In the report, the Senate ad hoc committee noted that the scandalous project was conceived like a criminal enterprise shrouded in opaque procurement processes and aimed at selfish commercial interests.
At some point, his influence within the corridors of power grew so high that when a new Cabinet Secretary in the name of Mutahi Kagwe took over and tried to ‘clean’ up the rotten corridors of the state department by instigating the transfers of officers at Afya House, he faced heavy opposition even from junior staff.
Kagwe would be seen angrily calling out unnamed people at Afya use for being very corrupt but what many did not understand is that the crooked cartel was led by Mr Ngatia himself.
Critics have described Ngatia as an ‘economic hitman.‘
For example, the Managed Equipment Services deal sees county Govts collectively lose over Sh9 billion per year to cartels sitting in Nairobi.
Through his links and big pockets, Ngatia has made sure that tenders awarded to his firm are overpriced.
In the deal to construct hospitals by Nairobi Metropolitan Services, worth billions, Megascope positioned itself well and won the construction tender to build both Level 2 and 3 hospitals.
Why Ngatia is bad for Nairobi
Ngatia’s style of management has been criticized as well with those close to him describing him as sexist and dictatorial.
Over multiple occasions, he has been in and out of court following suits against him by aggrieved KNCCI officials who accuse him of abuse of office, micromanaging leadership, corruption, impunity, nepotism as he beams a picture of perfect leadership to the business world unaware of the internal wrangles that have been hitting the KNCCI chambers across the country.
Ngatia is described as one who adores being surrounded by ‘yes’ men and wouldn’t hesitate to cut off those not aligning to his eyes.
Law doesn’t really matter when he doesn’t like you as witnessed in the reorganization of the Nairobi chamber of KNCCI where he kicked out ‘moles’.
One person who got kicked out was Businessman Jimnah Mbaru who was the chairman of the Nairobi chamber and he wasn’t in the good books with Ngatia reason being he was too tough and refused to play ball to his ploys, Jimnah is well monied was not interested in engaging in corrupt deals.
Ngatia then orchestrated frustrations that would make Jimnah bolt out of the position as he didn’t want to be dragged into unnecessary wars that would in turn taint his image.
As a key investor in different markets, he had his image to protect.
With Mbaru now out of the way, plans were now in line and Ngatia quickly and without considerations of the law, imposed his stooge and the Vice-Chairman Mr Geoffrey Kimani as the Acting Chairman of the Nairobi Chapter.
This was done with the aim that, he would be supported by The Godfather in the larger embezzlement of funds scheme.
Mr Kimani who by the time of being appointed by the Chamber President to Chair, KNCCI Nairobi County, was not a fully paid up KNCCI Member for 2 Good years, 2019 and 2020, this disqualified him from holding the position but it was overlooked as The Godfather wasn’t going to give law s chance to stand in his way.
That office has a story to tell and they have been running it in that manner.
With polls only 5 months away, and with the consequences of Mike Sonko’s erroneous tenure still fresh in our minds, the question now begs; in whose hands will Nairobi be safe?
And if the August polls come down to picking the lesser evil between Westlands legislator Tim Wanyonyi, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, Pastorpreneur Margaret Wanjiku, controversial businesswoman Agnes Kagure and the rest of the pigs in the muddy pit, then it is safe to say that shadowy tycoon Richard Ngatia earns an automatic disqualification.
Nairobians deserve better than this fraud.
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