Corrupt Kembi Gitura has resigned as Chairman of the Board at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), barely eight months after his appointment.
He claims he is leaving because of corruption in President William Ruto’s administration, but Kenyans know his story is different. Gitura is no reformer. He is as corrupt as the regime he now criticizes.
His exit is not about integrity. It is about tribal politics, his tarnished legacy, and the fear of being irrelevant in Mount Kenya’s shifting political ground.
The Dark Path of Corrupt Kembi Gitura
Kembi Gitura’s resignation statement paints him as a man of conviction, one who refuses to be linked with Ruto’s government. He insists he wants his political stand to be clear before 2027. But that is only the surface. Behind his carefully chosen words lies a man whose political and professional record is marred by scandal, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
When he chaired the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gitura presided over one of the worst procurement scandals in Kenya’s history. Billions were lost in dubious contracts. Companies linked to him and his family benefited from inflated tenders. Instead of protecting Kenyans at their most vulnerable moment, he turned KEMSA into a feeding trough for his circle.
Absa Chemicals Limited, associated directly with Gitura, pocketed Sh21 million from emergency procurement. His brother’s firm, Racking System Warehousing, secured a massive Sh959 million contract. Other companies tied to his family received millions more. These are not coincidences. They are the footprints of systemic corruption.
While defending himself before Parliament, Gitura was arrogant and dismissive. He admitted to ordering the KEMSA CEO to sign questionable contracts, claiming it was to “protect public money.” Yet Kenyans were watching billions vanish into private pockets. This is the man now pretending to resign on the grounds of principle.
The Ex-Murang’a Senator is Simply Playing Local Politics
Gitura’s resignation is not about corruption in Ruto’s government. If corruption offended him, he would have stepped aside years ago when his own hands were in the cookie jar. Instead, he is bolting from KUTRRH to rebrand himself in Mount Kenya politics.
Sources close to his allies say he is aligning himself with former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who is building momentum in the Kikuyu region. Gitura sees the writing on the wall. The Mount Kenya vote will be decisive in 2027, and he wants a seat at the table. His resignation is a calculated move to avoid being seen as Ruto’s man. It is an attempt to cleanse himself politically without addressing the rot in his record.
By playing tribal politics, Gitura confirms what many already believe. He is visionless. He is not resigning to fight corruption or defend good governance. He is resigning to survive politically. His move is about self-preservation, not national interest.
The Hypocrisy of Corrupt Kembi Gitura
The hypocrisy is glaring. Corrupt Kembi Gitura benefited from the same corrupt networks he now condemns. He sat comfortably at the centre of state appointments, hopping from KEMSA to the Communications Authority of Kenya, and later to KUTRRH.
Every posting gave him access to influence, contracts, and the machinery of state power. Now that the political tide is shifting, he wants to distance himself from Ruto’s administration. He wants to appear clean. But Kenyans have not forgotten the KEMSA loot.
They remember the arrogance with which he dismissed parliamentary probes. They remember how he and his family-linked companies siphoned millions during a global health crisis.
His attempt to cloak his resignation in morality is an insult to the public. It is an insult to every Kenyan who lost a loved one because hospitals lacked supplies while KEMSA cartels enriched themselves. It is an insult to taxpayers who fund institutions only to see them turned into private enterprises for political elites.
The Real Reason Behind the Exit of Gitura
The truth is simple. Gitura’s resignation has nothing to do with principle. It is about power. He wants to re-enter active politics in the Mount Kenya region, riding on the growing discontent with Ruto’s leadership. He wants to join Rigathi Gachagua’s bandwagon and position himself for relevance in 2027.
But he cannot run from his past. His corrupt legacy will follow him. The billions lost at KEMSA remain a stain on his name.
The millions channelled through companies tied to him and his family will not disappear from public memory. His opportunistic resignation only confirms what Kenyans already know. Kembi is not a reformer. He is a political survivor, a man who shifts with the wind to remain relevant.
