The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a probe into two directors of Steam Systems Ltd, accused of colluding with staff at the Business Registration Service (BRS) to unlawfully remove a fellow director, Timothy Benson Kamande, from the company’s leadership. Minesh Kantibhai Patel and Nayankumar Vithalbhai Patel are alleged to have exploited Kamande’s advanced age and deteriorating health to orchestrate his removal, causing significant distress to the founding director.
According to Concerned Citizens Kenya, a lobby group advocating for Kamande, the actions of the two directors have inflicted severe physical, psychological, spiritual, and economic harm on him. The group’s president, Frank Awino, detailed the toll on Kamande, citing trauma symptoms including numbness, headaches, depression, fear of authority, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, decreased self-esteem, introversion, and lethargy, alongside public humiliation and isolation.
Kamande, a co-founder of Steam Systems Ltd, a company based off Enterprise Road specializing in engineering hardware, industrial equipment, bearings, chains, and safety gear, lodged a formal complaint with the DCI on December 14, 2021 (Case No. DCI/GEN/COMP.6/11/2021/2775). However, the DCI has yet to provide updates on the progress of the investigation.
In response to inquiries from Awino, the Registrar of Companies, represented by Zacharia Mwangi, clarified that there are no records indicating Kamande’s resignation or the transfer of his shares. “The last annual return on file bearing his name is for the year 1994. We have no returns on record from 1997 to date. However, the annual returns filed from 1997 onwards do not list Timothy Benson Kamande among the directors or shareholders of the company,” Mwangi stated in a letter.
The Registrar further noted that a purported resignation letter dated March 14, 2022, and a share transfer deed allegedly signed by Kamande were not filed with the BRS, and no trace of these documents exists in the company’s records.
Efforts to obtain comments from Minesh and Nayankumar Patel were unsuccessful. The directors did not respond to questions sent via email, text message, or WhatsApp, and Minesh’s phone was consistently busy when contacted.
Concerned Citizens Kenya has called for swift action from the DCI to address the allegations, emphasizing the profound impact on Kamande’s well-being and the need for accountability. The case has raised concerns about corporate governance and the protection of vulnerable directors in Kenyan companies.
As the investigation continues, stakeholders await further developments in what could be a landmark case exposing potential malpractices within corporate entities.
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