Controversial businesswoman Mary Wambui who is considered a close ally of President William Ruto has been awarded multi-billion deals through her companies by the government.
According to a report that appeared in the Daily Nation on Thursday, Wambui, who was appointed as the boss at the Communications Authority of Kenya by President Ruto has gotten the deals that will see her import cooking oil, rice and beans. These deals are worth about Sh. 6.45 billion.
Four of her companies are in a list that was released by Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria on Wednesday. The list contains names of companies that have been approved for the multi-billion importation deals involving the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC).
“Four of the contracted companies are linked to (Mary) Wambui. Documents that (CS Moses) Kuria tabled before the Senate show that the four companies associated with Wambui got contracts to import edible oil, rice and beans in deals that worth over Sh. 6 billion,” the Nation reported.
“Purma Holdings will also sell 30,000 tonnes of rice and 20,000 tonnes of beans to the KNTC. CS Kuria did not give values for the cost of the food types that could have helped determine what companies will make from selling them to the KNTC.”
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The Nation report added that Business Registration Service (BRS) records show that Purma Holdings was incorporated on February 13, 1996. Wambui is the sole shareholder with 1,300 shares.
“KNTC buys each 20-litre jerrycan of cooking oil for $26 (Sh. 3,647). The contractors buy each jerrycan at $20 (Sh. 2,806),” the report in the Nation added. “Wambui’s Purma Holdings will sell oil worth $18.2 million (Sh. 2.5 billion). Of this, $4.2 million (Sh. 589 million) will be Purma’s profit.”
In addition to this, the Nation reported that Wambui has also been awarded deals to import red kidney beans and rice through companies she is associated with.
“Charma Holdings Ltd was contracted to import 535,950 jerrycans of cooking oil and 20,000 metric tonnes of red kidney beans. The company was incorporated on July 31, 2007. Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui, a close associate of Wambui, is listed as the sole shareholder with 3,600 shares,” the Nation reported.
It added that Ms. Kinyanjui is a co-owner, along with Wambui’s daughter Evelyn Nyambura Mungai, whose company, Nightigale Enterprises, is actively doing business with the government.
“Nightigale Enterprises recently won a multibillion-shilling tender to lav fibre optic cables,” the Nation reported.
The third company is known as Enterprise Supplies Ltd which will import 6,259 tonnes of cooking oil. Wambui is listed as the sole shareholder in this company. This company will sell to KNTC at Sh. 1.2 billion.
In December 2021, Mary Wambui was reported to have been hiding inside Weston Hotel that is owned by President Ruto. She wws hiding to avoid arrest over Sh. 2.1 billion tax demands by the Kenya Revenue Authority.
She was arrested in 2022 and charged in court. However, shortly after Dr. Ruto was sworn in as the fifth president of Kenya, he appointed Wambui as the chair of the CAK. The KRA and the Director of Public Prosecution also announced that they were dropping tax evasion cases on her.
