Following earlier reports of a massive kickback scheme involving a senior procurement officer at Kenya Power, the crisis appears to be quickly escalating as more shocking allegations of extortion and unethical practices within the company continue to surface.
In our previous report, we exposed how this officer allegedly demanded kickbacks of up to Ksh 10 million from contractors working on the Last Mile Project funded by the World Bank.
The claims described a deeply embedded culture of intimidation and corruption within the procurement department where contractors were coerced into paying bribes to secure tenders.
Several victims have not only corroborated the use of similar tactics by the same procurement officer but also further exposed how the unethical practices are sustained.
According to these new testimonies, the issue extends beyond personal bribes to more sophisticated forms of corruption, such as rigging of tender processes, manipulation of bid evaluations and even the creation of fraudulent suppliers or front companies that exist solely to siphon off public funds.
Suppliers are put under severe pressure to pay hefty sums under the threat of being excluded from future projects or being forced to obtain bank guarantees against their will.
“This is the reality we are facing. It’s not just about one person anymore. The procurement department headed by John Ngeno is a den of corruption. He has lost control and now everyone under his watch is shaking down companies for millions. I personally had to pay Ksh 5 million to have my contract approved and I’m not the only one,” one contractor, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, revealed.
Apart from pressure to pay hefty sums, some suppliers have revealed that they were also forced to participate in fraudulent invoicing and kickbacks disguised as “consultation fees” for non-existent services.
“Sometimes you are asked to create false invoices for non-existent services just to make the payments appear legitimate,” one contractor said.
“If you want to survive in this environment, you have to play along. We are told this was the only way to avoid being blacklisted from future projects. Sometimes it’s Ksh 3 million, sometimes Ksh 10 million, depending on the contract. It doesn’t matter if you’re a local company or foreign. If you didn’t, you will be cut off and your business will be finished,” another contractor echoed similar sentiments regarding the pervasive culture of extortion within the procurement department at Kenya Power.
These reports paint a disturbing picture of how a single procurement officer can exert such control backed by an apparent lack of oversight.
With such extensive allegations surrounding a senior official, it is baffling that bodies like the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have not taken action.
How can one procurement officer within a state-owned entity wield so much unchecked power?
The Minister for Energy and the Cabinet Secretary for Energy have remained silent, while the Principal Secretary for Energy seems absent in addressing these growing concerns.
Even the Managing Director & CEO Joseph Siror is conspicuously silent.
The Kenya Power Board also seems either unaware or unwilling to intervene.
“It’s disheartening that the leadership at Kenya Power has not said a word about this,” said a former senior staff member, who requested anonymity, adding “At this point, it feels like they’re complicit in the corruption. If this procurement officer can operate with such impunity, it’s because he has no fear of accountability.”
