The abduction of former South C MCA and Nairobi Liaison officer Osman Khalif has opened the lid on a serious cartel seemingly operating on behalf of Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Osman has lately been branded Sakaja’s Mr. fix it and has allegedly been at the center of suspected fraudulent payments at City Hall.
Our investigations indicate that Osman is only but a small fish representing the face of a serious cartel mostly compromised of people from the Somali community in Kenya.
We can authoritatively report that also on the DCI’s trail is Deputy Director for trade Mohamed Bashit who is also close to Governor Sakaja and is also part of the cartel fleecing taxpayer’s money at City Hall.
Despite his junior position at City Hall, Bashit is believed to have made serious headways into the county coffers and has become a darling to Governor Sakaja whose administration is under serious financial scrutiny by a multi-agency team comprising the DCI, EACC, the Controller of Budget and internal auditors.
A number of staffs have raised serious concerns about the cartel that also includes Finance and Economic Planning Chief Officer Asha Abdi.
Bashit, according to our sources is under police radar over fraudulent payments made to companies directly linked to him.
He is believed to have worked with Asha Abdi to swindle close to Sh34 million.
Sources also indicate that Asha is also under investigations for possible theft of accumulated loot totaling to Sh500, 000 million held in foreign accounts.
Both Asha and Bashit were in Morroco together with Sakaja in a tour the DCI suspects was meant to help them hide from being trailed as they take stalk of their corruption proceeds.
A number of MPS from the North Eastern region are also believed to be in the mix and have been holding meetings with governor Sakaja.
MPs from the pastoralist group on Wednesday joined Osman Khalif’s family in demanding his immediate release or arraignment, failure to which they will petition President William Ruto to direct security forces to produce him.
“This barbaric and illegal way of handling suspects should come to an end. If the gentleman has committed a crime, there are procedures, take him to court and subject him to the rule of law.” Eldas MP Adan Keynan said
Khalif was taken by five gunmen inside Sarit Centre in the Westlands area; they were reportedly using a double cabin vehicle around 5pm on Friday.
Marsabit Senator Chute Mohamed Said stated: “Tunaona kama serikali inatumia nafasi hii kuangamiza na kutesa watu. Tunataka vijana wakishikwa wapelekwe kortini.”
The ongoing activities come at a time it slowly emerging that Governor Sakaja and his Deputy Njoroge Muchiri are not reading from the same script on many issues at City Hall.
Currently, Bashit and Asha Abdi are the contact people for the cartel that also comprises former Finance Chief Officer Mohamed Sahal who also hit headlines for fictitious payments.
Asha has been meeting notorious hot-air suppliers including, Likuyani member of Parliament Innocent Mugabe, (whom according to WhatsApp and messages in our possession they have a thing), one person identified as Derick, Durow, Wycliffe Otieno Olouch commonly referred to many at cityhall as Amolleh (they met on Thursday at around 7:30PM EAT at Cityhall parking lot and Asha was promised good money), according to Wycliff’s close ally he recorded every conversation he had with Asha so that he can use it in future if Asha won’t pay him), Abdallah Hussein whom according to our investigation is a close ally to a Mombasa tycoon and was introduced to Asha during the beginning of this year.
Bashit runs and manages companies that have been getting multi-million payments under suspect circumstances.
The companies in question as per our investigations are Istanbul investment and Lansen Investment Company.
Documents intercepted by intelligence officers and in our possession indicate that Larsen Investment Limited was paid over 10 Million for Supply and Delivery of drainage materials.
Bashit is suspected to have forged signatures to effect the payments and the Chief Officer of the user department had not even Okayed such payments.
Pictures in our possession can clearly show Bashit signing one of the vouchers.
The offence of forgery is created and declared by section 349 of the Penal Code and states as follows: “Any person who forges any document or electronic record is guilty of an offence which, unless otherwise stated, is a felony and he is liable, unless owing to the circumstances of the forgery or the nature of the thing forged some other punishment is provided, to imprisonment for three years.”
Read also: EACC Stunned with Rampant Corruption at City Hall as More County Officers get Summons
Some of the vouchers signed by Mohamed Bashit and are under investigations include; voucher number 0050365 amounting to sh13,090,345, voucher 050366 amounting to Sh11, 793, 104, and 050364 amounting to sh10, 908, 620.
The vouchers according to a series of documents in our documents indicate that the payments were made and a further trail by the DCI shows that Asha Abdi received kickbacks from the proceeds.
Detectives from the Bank-Fraud unit and Asset Recovery are still following up on other suspected fraudulent payments.
It is believed that Osman Khalif has given out credible information that could see many other officers arrested.
