Close allies of President William Ruto are raking in billions of money from the controversial affordable housing tax that Kenyans are forcefully deducted every month. According to a report that appeared in the Sunday Nation on February 21, 2026, Ruto allies have been awarded contracts worth billions of money to build houses under the affordable housing scheme.
Among these Ruto allies is Mary Wambui who is the chairperson of the Athi Water Works Development Agency. The report in the Sunday Nation states that a firm that is associated with Wambui known as Nightingale (E.A) Limited has been awarded a tender worth Sh4.78 billion to construct 2,956 houses in the Mathare area in Nairobi.
This company’s details at the Registrar of Companies show that Edward Njenga Muniu holds a 90 percent stake while Wambui’s business associate Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui hold a 10 percent stake.
The Sunday Nation reported that Wambui was previously a director of Nightingale. She resigned from her position on December 5, 2022 after she was appointed by President Ruto to the position of Chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya.
The report goes on to single out Sam Mburu who is the husband of Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika and a Ruto ally. Mburu has been granted a deal worth about Sh2.58 billion to build 1,215 housing units in Naivasha. He has been granted this deal through his company which is known as Landmark Freight Services.
Another Ruto ally who has bagged these deals is Trukish national Harun Aydin through a company known as MHOA Africa Limited. Apparently, this Turkish man is part of a joint venture that is expected to build at least 100,000 homes under the controversial affordable houses project.
His company was registered in March 2023, just a few months after Ruto was declared the winner of the 2022 presidential contest by the Supreme Court of Kenya. Aydin had been deported from Kenya in 2021. MHOA Africa is in a joint venture with Demir Group. Aydin holds a 50 per cent stake.
Aydin had been deported from Kenya over money-laundering links and illegal movement into and out of Kenya.
Former Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of Government Fred Matiang’i had told the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security on Friday, August 13 2021, that an analysis of Aydin’s frequent movements into and out of the country indicated that he had close links with foreigners involved in money-laundering.
The Turkish national applied for an investor’s work permit Class G on November 24, 2020, Matiang’i had said. Aydin received the permit on June 25, 2021, allowing him to run Unit 2HA Investment Energy Africa Limited, a firm dealing in energy-related business. However, said Matiang’i, a subsequent examination of Aydin’s work permit documents indicated he was yet to receive formal contract that allows him the freedom to operate uninterrupted.
“He (Harun Aydin) provided the immigration department with a contract stating that he was allowed to work in the energy sector in Kenya. We have, however, discovered that he presented a dummy contract, [and not the genuine approval],” Matiang’I had said.
President Ruto [then as deputy president] had then come out to defend the Turkish man and said that he was an investor. Ruto had alleged that he had helped the Turkish man to secure a multi-billion loan of up to Sh15 billion from Equity Bank. He claimed that Aydin was a business ally who was seeking to invest in Uganda.
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However, Equity Bank denied having any links with the Turkish. The bank also refuted Ruto’s claims that he had pitched for a loan at Equity on behalf of Harun Aydin.
“He does not operate and does not have a banking relationship neither does he have a loan with us,” the bank had told the National Assembly Finance Committee.
After the inauguration of President Ruto, Aydin was spotted at State House. He was among guests who attended Ruto’s State House party.
