People have been expressing their desire for Matiang’i to be their president. Matiang’i, who comes from the Gusii community, was not a noble man.
He was responsible for the deaths of numerous individuals discovered in the Yala River. He also directed the disposal of bodies in the Ngong forest alongside then-PS Karanja Kibicho.
In addition to numerous extrajudicial killings during his tenure in the interior ministry, Matiang’i faced serious accusations of corruption. In fact, numerous sagas referenced him, suggesting that Gen Z’s desire for him as president should take into account his past.
In Kenya’s long history of corruption scandals, few names have become as notorious as Kamlesh Pattni, whose Goldenberg scam of the late 80s and early 90s syphoned billions from the national treasury.
Similarly, the names of Kuria Wa Gathoni and Charles Sosah resonate with tales of audacity and deceit. But a new chapter in Kenya’s dark saga of graft centred around the Ruaraka land scandal, where a mix of political machinations, compromised officials, and audacious schemes converged to defraud the government of billions.
At the heart of this scandal was none other than Dr. Fred Matiang’i, whose involvement and alleged acceptance of a substantial bribe raised significant worries.
For those not in the know, the Ruaraka land scam involved a piece of land at the intersection of Thika Road and Outer Ring Road. Historically, the Kenya Posts & Telecommunications Ltd. (KP&TC) pension scheme planned to construct residential units on this land.
However, similar to many projects from the Moi era, misappropriation of the funds prevented the intended ownership transfer to the KP&TC pension scheme.
In 2018, a compensation claim engulfed this piece of land. Francis Mburu Mungai and his companies demanded Ksh. 3.26 billion for the alleged forceful occupation of his land by two schools: Drive-Inn Primary School and Ruaraka High School. However, the government had surrendered the land these schools stood on in 1984, rendering Mburu’s claim baseless.
Despite this, Mburu managed to convince key officials to support his fraudulent claim. The then Education CS, Dr. Fred Matiang’i, the then National Land Commission (NLC) Chairman, Prof. Mohammed Swazuri, and Dr. Salome Munubi were instrumental in signing off on the compensation. Notably, Dr. Matiang’i’s role was pivotal, and documents presented to Parliament revealed that he received Ksh. 300 million in kickbacks.
Initially, the then-and shockingly current Education PS, Dr. Belio Kipsang, resisted signing off on the compensation. However, under pressure from his relative, Hon. William Chepkut, and assurances that his share of the loot was secure, Dr. Kipsang relented. He requested formal documentation from the NLC to justify the Ksh. 3.26 billion figure, to which Prof. Swazuri, bypassing his own CEO, responded directly with instructions to deposit the funds.
A whistleblower, Meshack Onyango Dehay, provided a detailed account to the Speakers of both the Senate and National Assembly. Dehay revealed that the recipients of the bribes were Dr. Matiang’i (Ksh. 300 million), Prof. Swazuri (Ksh. 400 million), Dr. Munubi (Ksh. 150 million), Dr. Belio (Ksh. 100 million), Hon. Chepkut (Ksh. 100 million), and Prof. Githu Muigai (Ksh. 250 million).
Red flags emerged across the banking sector when Whispering Palms Ltd.’s Barclays Bank account received its first payment of Ksh. 1.5 billion. Rapid transfers followed, including Ksh. 220 million to Kenya Arab Contractors Ltd., Ksh. 15.5 million to M-Lorry Ltd., Ksh. 70 million to Justin and Mark Mburu (Francis Mburu’s sons), and Ksh. 50 million to John Mutwiri, associated with Jimi Kibaki. Geoffrey Mutisya Mbili, a longtime associate of Francis Mburu, also withdrew Ksh. 5 million in cash.
The following day, John Mutwiri’s Equity Bank account at Champion Kenya Ltd. received a transfer of Ksh. 930 million. This company then began distributing the funds according to the agreed-upon shares, prompting the Banking Fraud Unit to freeze the accounts due to suspicious activity.
In the 2018 article by Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi that detailed the fraud, Nyakundi pondered how the “saved” Professor Githu Muigai, with his polished fake British accent, consented to a bribe of Ksh. 250 million. “He turned the State Law Office into a brothel.”
All the people mentioned above, except for Francis Mburu, have at least a PhD and are often referred to as Drs. These are some of Kenya’s best brains, yet they slowly warmed their minds to the national malaise of corruption.
To suppress media coverage of the scandal, Francis Mburu allegedly bribed journalists from major media houses. According to reports, he hosted them at a dinner at Dusit D2 and shared Ksh. 3 million to prevent the story’s publication.
The following day, he sued Nyakundi, too, because the blogger was very vocal about the scandal.
So those who want Matiang’i to be president must think hard. Senator Okiya Omtatah is the only person who has consistently been in and out of court without much stain, fighting for Kenyans.