This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
Cartels and Corruption at City Hall ¶
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has taken a bold step in his fight against corruption and disloyalty within his administration by firing City Hall's chief officer in charge of planning, Justus Kathenge.
According to sources, Kathenge was seen as untouchable, but Sonko's declaration of war against senior officials accused of disloyalty and insubordination has led to his ouster.
Weekly Citizen has uncovered evidence of a cartel operating within the urban planning department, with Kathenge at its center. The cartel is accused of draining the county's resources and stalling development.
It is alleged that Kathenge and his handlers have been pocketing millions of shillings collected from developers with constructions above eight floors. The money is said to be shared among the cartel members, with Kathenge taking a significant cut.
One of the deals allegedly involved Kathenge reducing the measurements of a proposed structure to reduce the amount of money paid to the developer. The plinth area was reduced from 3 by 4 to 2 by 2, resulting in a significant reduction in the amount of money paid.
According to sources, Kathenge and his handlers have been using Trattoria Restaurant in the CBD and Café Helena next to City Hall as meeting points to discuss and share the loot.
Other places where the cartel allegedly meets to share money include International Life House and Yaya Centre. The money is said to be picked along Mombasa Road and shared at Season's Hotel in Embakasi.
One of the junior officials in the department, Fredrick Ochanda, is allegedly deployed to pick money from clients suspected of setting them up. The dirty money is later cleaned through purported businesses that do not exist before buying properties that can be confirmed by KRA.
It remains to be seen whether Sonko will follow through on his threat to sack six executives and three chief officers accused of disloyalty and insubordination.
However, Sonko has a history of sacking officials over disloyalty and insubordination. In one case, he suspended four top county officials for insubordination over the Pumwani Maternity Hospital Saga.
