This archive report was first published on 20 September 2019.
On September 20, 2019, the EACC launched an investigation into the award of garbage tenders for the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years, which has revealed shocking details of plunder in Nairobi County.
The investigation centered on companies like Aende Group, which was awarded a tender despite not being qualified to deliver. Aende Group Director Derrick Aende admitted that his firm had no prior experience in the industry, but the personnel had.
It also emerged that Aende Group had only existed for 78 days as opposed to at least one year required to qualify for the tender. The company had only 15 secretariat members and 52 stewards against a required 200 stewards to clean the 2km-square Nairobi central business district.
The EACC's discovery of Ksh20 million in kickbacks wired into Governor Sonko's accounts from firms that got awarded the flawed tenders has compounded his woes. Other firms that have been roped into the investigations are Amaco Insurance, Hardi Enterprises, and Yiro Enterprises.
The investigations also led detectives to accounts held by Governor Sonko's cronies in Dubai, where billions of shillings from the new revenue collection system accounts at National Bank of Kenya are wired and used to buy high-end properties.
According to sources from inside Nouveta Ltd, which is contracted to collect revenue on behalf of the County, Governor Sonko has been extorting money from them. Founder and CEO Hezron Muriuki is said to have been summoned quietly by EACC to shed light on the transfers.
The Governor has also managed to get to EACC director in charge of investigations, Mr. Abdi Mohamud, getting him to slow down the pace of investigations. Through the Majority Leader Abdi Guyo, the Governor approached Mohamud with Ksh10 million in cash.
Furthermore, Governor Sonko has promised to appoint President Kenyatta's personal assistant Jomo Gecaga as Deputy Governor in a bid to shield himself from detectives. He has also moved into the home of Gecaga's cronies at Riverside Drive in what appears to be an attempt to shield himself from arrest.
