Corruption to Corruption , How Joe Sang rose to become MD at Kenya pipeline

DCI sleuths have on Friday morning arrested Kenya Pipeline Company MD Joe Sang and several top managers over an alleged corruption scandal. Some of the managers arrested with him include Company Secretary Gloria Khafafa and the Head of Procurement Vincent Cheruiyot.

Mr Sang, who holds a master of business administration in strategy and a bachelor of arts in economics, is an accountant and joined KPC as general manager for finance strategy from Kenya Breweries, where he was head of group business performance.

He was later appointed CEO on April 13, 2016, by Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter after a contest with 64 applicants who had applied for the position. His appointment was shrouded in controversy after a consumer lobby group, Cofek, alleged that the new CEO lacked “administrative capacity and competence to handle such a huge parastatal.”

It was Mr John Ngumi, the board chairman, who defended CS Keter’s choice — only to find himself in a quandary as scandals, both new and historical, started to rock the corporation.

Officials in Tanzania prosecuting a Sh600 million bribery scandal relating to a government bond had in APRIL 2018 turned to the country’s Justice minister for help to get Kenyan authorities to extradite two of its citizens they believe would help solve the case.

They were looking for none other but former Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) chairman John Ngumi, who was in charge of the CFC Stanbic Bank’s East Africa investment arm, and Mr Bashir Awale, who served as Stanbic Tanzania CEO when the bond was floated in 2012.

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The Tanzanian bond was handled by Stanbic Tanzania which was fined in 2015 for its role in the scandal.

Mr Sang made the mistake of going on record to defend a Gill House-based company, Aero Dispenser Valves Limited, which had been awarded a Sh600 million tender to supply aircraft refuelling equipment for Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by a previous MD, Mr Charles Tanui, an appointee of then Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir.Image result for Charles Keter

The Consumers Federation of Kenya noted that Mr Sang was also closely related to Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Mr Charles Keter leading to a fraudulent appointment which clearly offends Article 4(2), 10, 27(4) and 232 of the Constitution.

“Indeed it is not lost to the public opinion that the same Cabinet Secretary has his many other kin serving as Principal Secretaries and heads of parastatals.” The lobby group noted in its website.

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