Investigators have opened yet another probe into what could be the country’s biggest corruption scandal at the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), involving Sh70 billion.
In January 2016 , The directors of Kenya Pipeline Company replaced Flora Okoth as acting MD with the then Finance and Strategy GM Joe Sang.
Flora had been the acting MD since July 2015 after the suspension of Charles Tonui who was charged with irregularly awarding a Sh29 million contract for the installation of auto transformers.
Flora is reported to have been pushed out following the delayed handling of a massive Makueni oil spill that had gone undiscovered for months. A pipeline ruptured, spilling oil into the Thange River, a key water source for residents of Thange village.
However , the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) protested the manner in which Mrs. Flora Okoth was sent on leave, raising even more fundamental questions about the high level nepotism at the parastatal.
Aware that Mr Sang was previously the General Manager, Finance & Strategy and holds MBA, BA (Economics) and CPA (K) qualifications, COFEK said that Mr Sang had no administrative capacity and competence to handle such a huge parastatal.
The suspect image and especially the flowery language painted of Mr Sang by then newly appointed board chairman Mr John Ngumi – during his appointment as acting MD – was obvious that the board would never have been fair to other candidates in the formality that was recruitment process that followed.
In the circumstances, and aware of historical notoriety of nepotism within KPC, the board should have deliberately gone out for an outsider to clean up the mess.
However , they dd not but went ahead and chose Sang who now has a case to answer regarding the billions of taxpayers money unaccounted for and the missing millions of litres lost.
Details of @kenyapipeline Kisumu jetty scam investigations by @ODPP_KE and @DCI_Kenya #CofekCares #ConsumerAction #2018InReview pic.twitter.com/HoOvoyz3EZ
— Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) (@CofekRebranded) December 7, 2018
Fears are that Mr Sang is closely related to Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Mr Charles Keter point 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, notes COFEK