Kenyan Politicians are the worst as far as any attempted to mob out corruption is concerned. Take for instance, Raila Odinga is always chest thumbing that he’s a whistleblower, while all facts under the sun point that he’s dinning with the very same people he’s exposing?
In Business RAO is a broker, in politics he’s a renegade, in the cause to fight corruption he’s a conman. Before RAO’s sycophants come blowing my mentions, you can’t be both a whistleblower and at the same time, your allies are amongst the battery of lawyers that representing the same cartels.
For starters, Mombasa based billionaire businessman Mohammed Jaffer, the then Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri, and his PS Hamadi Boga were deep government were summoned by EACC over the illegal payment of Sh1.8 billion paid to one of Jaffer’s companies.
According to Forbes Africa, Jaffer is a 64 year-old Kenyan and founder of the MJ Group. The group’s flagship company, Grain Bulk Handlers Limited (GBHL) owns a grain terminal that specializes in the discharge and handling of bulk grain cargo at the Port of Mombasa, a coastal Kenyan town.
Forbes estimated that the facility was built at a cost of over $35 million in the 1990s and is now valued at over $140 million. The MJ Group also owns several cargo handling terminals and container freight stations in Kenya, Uganda and the United States as well as LPG Terminals and a grain terminal at the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana in the United States.
Jaffer, who’s Raila’s close buddy had fallen out with DP Ruto whom has been his ally corridors of power since 2013. Sources close to the two states that CS Matiangi is the political bet of Kenya’s most silent cartel. It’s not clear if this will affect his relationship with the LPG supplier Raila Odinga.
The wealthy businessman has reportedly promised to give full support to Matiang’i presidential bid in 2022. Kenyan Bulletin can confirm that Jaffer has bought and developed a Sh100 million luxury home for Matiang’i at the exclusive Rea Vipingo Estate in Kilifi County.
By dumping Ruto for CS Matiangi, Jaffer is sending signals that the Interior CS could be the man to watch in 2022 since the greedy Raila, who he financially supported his campaigns and Uhuru have not yet made their 2022 plans known.
In his long road to success, Jaffer befriended and later dumped so many individuals who enjoyed close proximity to state power. From as far back as 1980s and 1990s,
Jaffer has been a cartel since the 80s, he made friends with Joshua Kulei who was former President Daniel Arap Moi personal aide. He later dumped Kulei when KANU was swept out of power.
Jaffer also befriended a former Kenya Port Authority CEO Brown Ondego and elevated him to the Board of Directors of his GBHL business. Ondego was close to former Vice President and former Deputy Prime Minister and currently ANC Party Leader Musalia Mudavadi, who has been accused of multiple scandals including Goldenberg.
Also due to be questioned are high ranking officials at the Treasury’s Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), who authorised the payment and others from the Central Bank where the SGR Special Fund holds an account, are all lined up for grilling, EACC sources confirmed to us.
Kenyan Bulletin confirms that Commodity House Limited, a firm owned by Jaffer, received the Sh1.8 billion on July 1, 2019, and transferred Sh1.6 billion the following day on July 2, 2019, to Hydery Limited, and then converted the balance of Sh200 million into US dollars. The untraceable dollars were then allegedly used to pay cash bribes to top government officials.
But why is the DCI afraid of Mohammed Jaffer? Who is this Jaffer that is micro-controlling state agencies? What is Raila’s hand in shield this cartel?
In the recent unsubstantiated claims, Jaffer has been accused of buying himself out of authorities radar and scrutiny. Inspirited media campaigns, the Mombasa based tycoon is accused of sponsoring and shutting down several investigations including parliamentary investigations that he bought off MPs, and others influenced by RAO.
