A fierce leadership row has rocked the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Nairobi County’s chapter, Kenya Insights has learnt. The county’s acting Chairman Geoffrey Kimani is at the center of the scandal and has been accused by member and board of directors for running the body as his bedroom. Kimani is said to be micromanaging KNCCI with illegalities and suspected misuse of funds.
The height of the skirmishes emerged following an ouster of 5 duly elected board members and other members were ejected from the WhatsApp group in a clear sign of a coup by Kimani. “He has been having problems with the directors since he wants to run the whole show by himself, he wants his hands on everything and clearly there’s an ill motive to all this, the man is a narcissist, the board have their functions and Kimani is wrong to run this thing like his kiosk.” A dejected member of the business group said to Kenya Insights. We learn that he intends to constitute a board that’s loyal to him and for his own personal interests.
The Genesis Of The Split
What is puzzling is the fact that the directors whom have been technically knocked out by Kimani didn’t have any cases of misappropriation of funds or any Criminal activity that had been reported on any of the members staff or Directors.
The coup by Kimani has attracted the attention of most of the KNCCI Members Countrywide seeking clarification on what exactly happened.
This is what happened according to insider sources speaking to Kenya Insights.
Following the Resignation of Mr. Jimnah Mbaru as the Chairman Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nairobi County due to frustration from the Vice Chairman, Mr. Kimani, the Elected Board of Directors have had a difficult time working with 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.
As per the Chamber Constitution, you cannot hold office if you have not paid subscription for two years.
The KNCCI Constitution states that Co-option of Directors can only be done by the Board at County Level. 7 New Directors were Co-opted without the proper procedure being followed or vetting as per Constitution of KNCCI. Infact Three of the newly coopted Directors are not even fully paid up Members of the NAIROBI KNCCI.
The Elected KNCCI NAIROBI 5 County Directors, tried to bring up the agenda in the Board Meetings severally however , the matter was shot down by the Acting Chairman Mr. Kimani supported by other Directors.
They further engaged the National Director in charge of NAIROBI County KNCCI to Intervene, and this was again shot down again.
Since, they were asking the 7 Co-opted Directors to be appointed from the current exciting Fully paid up list of Nairobi KNCCI members ,this was totally shot down by Mr. Kimani and the Same office.
The KNCCI Constitution is clear that Co-opted Directors should be appointed based on Professionalism, Gender and people with Disabilities. Priority should be given to current Nairobi County KNCCI Members.Related Content: DLA Piper Africa, IKM Advocates Put Under EACC Probe Over Sh144M They Received From MES Scandal
This didn’t go well with the acting Chairman, Mr. Kimani as he had already proposed names to Chamber President, infact 3 who are not members of Nairobi KNCCI.
Since the Chamber Constitution, allows for a Complain, as this matter could not be handled in Nairobi County, where Mr. Kimani was an interested party, they raised the Complain officially with the National Dispute Resolution Committee KNCCI. They followed the laid down procedures in seeking an amicable solution to the problem within KNCCI Nairobi as per the Memorandum of Association.
After meeting the National Director in charge of NAIROBI KNCCI, they were asked by the Director, Nairobi County, Mr. Theuri to drop the Complain without any solution. They realized this was not going to help Nairobi KNCCI Members.
A Board Meeting of the newly Co-opted 7 Directors was called by the Acting Chairman Mr. Kimani and the agenda was to discuss the 5 elected Directors and vote them out. They refused to go for that Board Meeting as the 7 Directors were co-opted illegally, have no voting rights. They asked their Lawyer to write to Mr Kimani as the Acting Chairman to the effect that Nairobi KNCCI Board meeting was null and void as the new Directors had no powers to make decisions on behalf of KNCCI Nairobi Members.
It has been established that Mr. Kimani as the Acting Chairman, is using Director, Jesse Muraya who is the Administrator of the Whatsapp KNCCI Nairobi County Group, and and other Co-opted Directors doctoring Board Meeting Minutes taken ealier to prove that the 7 Co-opted Directors were legally Co-opted and the 5 Directors consented. They also hatched a plan to change bank signatories but this was thwarted as bank demanded they bring the ousted directors to authenticate transfer of leadership. It’s not a brainer why he selfishly wanted the signatories changed to his loyalists.
They have further hired Thinguri Warwathe (Well known KNCCI Spoiler) to execute this illegal plans. This same person for along time has planned and oversaw and executed the same illegal plans in KNCCI Kiambu Chapter for many years.
The Main Objective of these illegal activities is to bring a coup and defeat justice and the rule of law in Nairobi County which is stable and successful.
They have gone further to send all the long Servicing Nairobi KNCCI Staff on Compulsory leaves including the acting CEO Kenneth K. Mutai, Chief Executive Officer, which totally unfair as they have families and they are Completely innocent.
The 5 Directors and Staff have been offering their excellent services to the Nairobi Members and have been able to grow the membership and financial status substantially from Zero to the current status.
Members are now revolting to stand with the fired staff and the 5 Directors as they stand for justice, honesty and transparency in KNCCI Nairobi County.
It is a shame that Mr. Kimani is running a professional body with chest like a vigilante leader. “The Chamber is a members’ organization governed by the Chamber Memorandum & Articles and ideals of natural justice. All members MUST be given a fair hearing free of prejudice, intimidation, personal interests, external influence and with the right of appeal.” One if the members said.Related Content: EACC Planning To Raid Migori Governor’s Obado Money Warehouse In Migori Where Sh5B Is Hidden In Cash
Removal of directors ought to follow a legal channel and it’s totally unacceptable for Kimani to terminate them without subjecting to a fair process. Members are now asking for a special members’ meeting to elect other directors as the county board of directors will not be legally constituted as envisaged in Article 119 of the Chamber MemArts. ( _The County Board of Directors SHALL comprise of at least eleven (11) ELECTED Board Members with an option of co-opting up to six (6) additional Members_.) and Nairobi will be underrepresented at the national level as per Article 34 as coopted directors cannot vote. I urge all members to read and understand the Chamber MemArts and be aware of what they’ve subscribed to.
For now Kimani the bulldozer has been given a chance to reconcile with the board members failure to which members will take the necessary steps as per the constitution.
It is open that Kimani is running the office with massive illegalities. This is likely to deal a blow to investors trust on such a crucial body.
KNCCI affairs are often controlled by the chairperson, including hiring, procurement and payments. This is why many are giving Kimani the suspicious eye as he’s in control of everything. The KNCCI CEO is just a figurehead position with no executive powers.
Looting of MasterCard COVID-19 Relief Money
Kenya Insights has also learnt that Mr. Kimani and group are acurrently under fire for looting COVID-19 relief money that was meant to boost businesses for SMEs.
Last year, MasterCard Foundation in collaboration with KNCCI started disbursing Sh600 million in interest-free loans earmarked for youth and women-led small businesses.
The loans were part of the Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Programme. The program was targeting small businesses that have borne the brunt of the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the Kenyan economy to contract by 5.7 percent in the second quarter of the year.
The one-year programme was to be implemented by KNCCI through its chapters across the 47 counties with focus on agriculture, retail, healthcare and manufacturing sectors.
Insider sources at the murky KNCCI Nairobi Chapter confide in Kenya Insights that Kimani and group ate the money allocated to struggling small business owners whom the money was meant to. We’re told some of the struggling business persons are yet to receive the money while Kimani known in the corridors for being a womanizer swims in other people’s sweat. We’ve since learnt that MasterCard has written a protest letter to the Nairobi Chamber demanding Kimani and gang to refund the money they stole from them.(We will detail this in our next article).
Kimani is said to be working in cohorts with scandal ridden KNCCI national chairman Richard Ngatia who before his rise was the chairman of Nairobi County so it’s not a brainer why the two ride together. In fact, Ngatia had written to the bank to allow the criminal change of signatories but all in vain. Ngatia was mentioned in the scandalous Kemsa tender deal in which his firm Megascope worn Sh1.1B COVID-19 supplies tender. The master schemer also won the tender to build COVID-19 hospitals in Nairobi. Ngatia and Kimani hangout together a lot though Kimani is said to be broke and simply hanging on his friend’s clout.Related Content: Revealed: Alex Mutuku Is A Mere Scapegoat Used In Covering Up An Untold Major KRA Theft By The Mighty.
Sh7M Grant From CIPE
Having eaten the MasterCard money, the master of deceit Kimani is said to be putting his cards on the table with another grant that is said to be hitting the accounts anytime this week.
Kenya Insights has learnt that Nairobi County Chamber has been awarded 7million by Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) as a grant. “This is what they want eat, the money is coming into the account anytime this week.” An insider said to Kenya Insights. “He (Kimani) wants to swindle the money that’s why he didn’t want the vocal directors, he sent the whole staff on compulsory leave, he wants to eat everything by himself and his gang members, that’s why he plotted the coup.” Source said.
We also learn that because of mismanagement by Kimani and COVID-19, the chambers was last year almost getting auctioned and it took the efforts of the acting CEO to resuscitate the chambers before Kimani and his gang staged the takeover. For Kimani swindling enterprise to thrive and finance his lavish lifestyle, women and his Royal Saloon Toyota, vocal directors have to be out of the picture for him to run a solo show surrounded with his choir members and that’s exactly the current situation.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) -Nairobi County is a chapter of KNCCI, a non-profit autonomous and business membership organisation (BMO) established in 1965 as the umbrella body of the private sector in Kenya.
The Nairobi Chamber represents and protects interests of the business community in Nairobi by supporting the development of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), lobbying for a favourable environment for businesses in the County and promoting Nairobi as a preferred national/International business and investment hub.
KNCCI – Nairobi is comprised of members from several business and industry sectors playing an important role in the diversification of the Kenyan economy. These members include players in Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Automobile, ICT, Healthcare, Recruitment, Financial Technology (Fintech), Education, Tours & Travel, Fashion, Construction, Food & Beverages, Hospitality, Security, Oil & Gas, Banking, Jua Kali, among others.
KNCCI -Nairobi also assists exporters in Kenya to obtain the Certificate of Origin, an important international trade document that certifies that goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in Kenya.
The body is key on building and attracting investors but this trust is lost when crafty characters like Kimani are left to run and own the show. Trust, transparency and accountability are key components that are clearly missing from Kimani’s management. He’s also said to be eyeing the National Chairmanship to take over from Ngatia who also used the Nairobi Chapter as his leeway to the national table.
Continues in Part 2…
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