Koilel Farm Limited, a company owned by Deputy President’s son Nick Ruto and his mother Rachel Ruto will be paid sh19.2 million by the National Cereals and Produce Board.
The compaby which supplied 6,000 bags of maize to the board, was one of 12 firms which had been frozen by EACC following claims that they had
bought maize elsewhere and sold it to the NCPB, which had been restricted to buy grains from farmers.
But now NCPB managing director Albin Sang has claimed that the companies have been cleared by the Anti-Corruption watchdog and will receive their payment in a week’s time.
“I spoke to the Strategic Food Reserve and they promised to release funds to clear these farmers,” Mr Sang told a local publication.
In October last year, the EACC wrote to the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund stating that 62 firms or entities were “of particular interest to EACC enquiries”
11 of these firms have now been cleared and will earn 200m from the taxpayers coffers.
According to the EACC list, Koilel Fam was paid Sh20.8 million for supplying 11,844 bags of maize to the NCPB. The list does not state when the maize was supplied.
Ruto’s representatives confirmed supplying maize to the NCPB. Kipchumba Karori, the lawyer for Koilel Farm, said Ruto had 430 acres of maize in Ilula, Moiben constituency and had supplied about 6,000 bags to NCPB.
In a previous TV debate Cherangany MP Joshua Kuttuny claimed that Ruto’s firm doing business with government amounted to conflict of interest.