Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has challenged Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and his Transport counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen to come clean on their relationship with Ann Njeri Njoroge, the lady at the center of the Sh17billion oil saga.
“Concerned by the fact that an ordinary Kenyan of no known means was alleging she had imported diesel worth KES 17B,& that the 2 Cabinet Secretaries were claiming that the diesel belongs to Galana Energies, yet the directors of the said firm were quiet, I decided to do some digging,” Omtatah stated.
Claims of laundering stolen public funds and fallout
The Senator noted that he has reason to believe that Ann was only a front for the heist before falling out with the two CSs in an elaborate scheme to launder stolen public funds via the oil shipment.
After the fallout, Ann moved to claim the consignment while CS Chirchir claimed that it belonged to a local company.
"I challenge CS Chirchir and CS Murkomen to stop fooling the nation and come clean on their relationship with Alice Njeri, whom I reasonably believe is their front in the heist, whom they have fallen out with," Omtatah challenged in a lengthy statement in which he did not substatiate hi s claims or table any evidence.
According to the lawmaker, 17,224,718,632 was unconstitutionally withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund in June 2023 to finance an unnamed private enterprise.
READ: Businesswoman Ann Njeri narrates how she was duped into abduction after date with DCI
He suspects that the unnamed private financial enterprise was Ms Njeri, with the cash in question being used to purchase the disputed oil.
"As per the Statement of Actual Revenue and Net Exchequer Issues gazetted by Prof. Ndung'u, the CS Treasury, vide Gazette Notice No. 9734 of July 13, 2023, the ministry withdrew from the Consolidated Fund some Ksh17,224,718,632 in June 2023, at the closure of the FY 2022/2023, for subsidies to private financial enterprise.
“I have reason to suspect that Ms Njeri who from all indications could not have raised the Sh17 billion which was used to purchase the fuel is the “private financial enterprise” funded in Clause (C) that received Sh17,224,718,632 from the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining. And the contested shipment of oil is the product being used to launder the money…” read Omtatah statement in part.
READ: KPA boss points out 4 inconsistencies in Sh17B oil linked to businesswoman Ann Njoroge
Oil Tycoon Ann Njeri claims shipment
Through her lawyer Cliff Ombeta, Ann Njeri maintains that she is the owner of the shipment in question and claims that the government stole.
"She was also threatened to return the other four consignments she was to bring. The court had ordered the ship to be detained, but it was discharged. The ship's captain also confirmed that he was threatened over the matter, with the people accusing him of colluding with Ann.
"What kind of law is this? If the government itself is corrupt, then how can we operate? She has retrieved oil consignments on many occasions, so why is it a problem now?" Ombeta stated at Mombasa Law Court where he presented his client.