Being a procurement officer in Kenya, one can barely afford to own a car or house with a basic salary because of how small your pay check is. And if you were, it would take years for you to accumulate that much wealth. However, procurement officers are one of the wealthiest people in an organization because of the looting that goes on in these departments.
News has emerged through the grapevine that one procurement officer at the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is living his best life. In the midst of the ongoing scandal at NHIF, Fredrick Sagwe Onyancha, one of the procurement staff at the State Insurer takes chopper rides from his home to the office to avoid traffic jam.
According to the Nation, Onyancha, who is a prime suspect in the NHIF scandal leads a lavish lifestyle at his home in Athi River. The 39-year old takes the occasional helicopter ride to his Athi River home rather than endure the 30 km journey by road from his office.
Onyancha lives the most extravagant life and owns eight town houses in the upmarket Green Park estate in Athi River, where he also lives with his young family. Reports also show that Onyancha drives the latest edition of the Toyota Land Cruiser V8 and a Range Rover Sport.
It is reported that Onyancha bought eight houses worth Ksh. 160 Million between 2013 and 2017 at the upmarket estate in Athi River.
But it is the occasional helicopter rides by the young procurement employee at the National Hospital Insurance Fund, from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to his home, that have caught the attention of his friends and neighbours, who marvel at his opulence.
Fredrick Onyancha is now the face of the NHIF scandal, with his vast estate among items targeted by the Asset Recovery Agency, which confiscates properties accumulated through proceeds of crime.
Assistant Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Emily Kamau told a Nairobi court yesterday that Mr Onyancha and his 19 co-accused had committed a crime “worse than murder” by stealing money meant for treatment of patients.
“They are the ones who enabled siphoning of public funds. We are talking about more than Kshs500 million stolen from the management of the health scheme. The court should put the NHIF fraud case in the category of murder,” she declared.
Onyancha was among those charged with several counts of abuse of office and flouting of procurement procedures in the Ksh. 500 million scandal at the Fund but was released on a Ksh. 500,000 bond.
His lifestyle appeared to change suddenly after he joined the tender evaluation committee at NHIF which deals with awarding tenders in upwards of multi-million shillings.
Do you ever question how millions can disappear from an organization without anyone questioning?