This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
Tunaso's Web of Corruption ¶
January 2018 marked a significant event in the health sector of Trans Nzoia County when Governor Anne Waiguru held a discussion with Mr. Fred Wanyonyi, then acting CEO of KEMSA, aimed at fostering excellent service delivery.
However, little did the public know that Tunaso, a Turkish firm, had a history of massive procurement irregularities, earning it a spot in the infamous NYS scandal.
Abdulwalli Shariff Ahmed, the owner of Tunasco, received Sh175 million from NYS for supplying air, a move that raised eyebrows in tenderpreneur circles.
Despite its questionable character, Tunasco managed to secure a Sh200 million deal with Trans Nzoia County to build a maize milling plant in 2016.
However, the project was marred by allegations of shoddy workmanship, with residents of Tana River County accusing the company of constructing the Sh200 million Oda Bridge at Bura Kofira in Garsen Constituency poorly.
The bridge, which was meant to connect people from either side of the Tana River, was overcome by floods while still under construction in May 2017.
Despite its bad reputation, Tunasco continues to win government tenders through what can only be described as the dark art of coercion.
According to sources, the firm recently failed to secure a tender due to a non-responsive bid in a key parastatal, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), and threatened the CEO, Dr. Jonah Manjari.
"We shall see where you will reach. We shall fight all over the media and destroy you," a manager at Tunasco told the parastatal CEO.
The CEO of Tunasco, having declared war on Dr. Manjari, paid a local media house to splash a breaking news that the CEO was being investigated for a Sh1 billion tender awarded to a Chinese firm.
"KEMSA CEO Jonah Manjari on the spot after EACC launched probe on Sh959m racking system contract awarded to Chinese firm," the Capital News channel blasted.
The blackmail and coercion that Tunasco is used to had backfired, and so they are fighting back.
Between December 2017 and July 2018, Mr. Fredrick Wanyonyi served as the CEO of KEMSA in an acting capacity.
During his short tenure, Fred Wanyonyi was caught in a Sh323 million scandal involving expired drugs.
The man was on a tight spot as investigations had found out that KEMSA staff were colluding with suppliers to supply expired drugs to the market.
Police and officials from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board had raided a house in Parklands belonging to the then CEO and found a consignment of surgical gloves, X-ray protective gowns, drugs, surgical syringes, and sutures marked as government property.
During the raid, the detectives also found equipment used to repackage drugs and change the expiry date on the packets.
Most of these drugs ended up in 'free medical camps,' some at your favorite chemists.
In his incompetence, Wanyonyi had KEMSA stock over Sh11.7 billion worth of expired drugs.
Sources tell us that Wanyonyi is the force that is helping the Turkish firm Tunasco fight the current CEO, Jonah Manjari.
Jonah has cleaned up KEMSA, and the cartels are not happy.
Furthermore, our sources intimate that Fred Wanyonyi is a longtime ally of ousted Ford Kenya leader, scammer, and fake gold merchant Moses Wetangula.
Fred has unexplained wealth, and as KEMSA's Legal Director, it is quite curious how he managed to own Iconic Hotel in Bungoma.
The friend of gold scammer Wetangula has a lot of explaining to do when they sit down to drink at their favorite joint.
