Since the pandemic began in 2020, Richard Ngatia, the businessman and founder of Megascope Healthcare Limited has been winning Ministry of Health contracts every now and then.
The man can’t be lucky, there’s something that he holds that has opened the gates for him in that sector.
The former Disk Jockey, owner of Galileo Lounge and the current President of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry – KNCCI is a hardworking man, no doubt.
However, beneath the veneer of calm, lies a man who is very harp and calculating.
Courting the Kenyattas as they ascended to power in 2013 has been the greatest, most fulfilling gamble this businessman ever did.
For a man who rose through the ranks from the bottom of the Kenyan economic and social status, because Kenyans don’t take those in the music industry seriously, Richard Ngatia has done well for himself.
However, with power, comes greed and myopia that often sends men to the gallows, reminding them of their place.
The cartel at the Health ministry.
The rise of Ngatia, as aforementioned came about after the most corrupt regime ever in Kenya, came to power.
His visibility in the ranks appeared more after the MES – Managed Equipment Services Project where Kenyans lose over Sh5 billion yearly.
Like a shark that has tasted blood, Ngatia has been on the hunt and bagged all the lucrative tenders at the Ministry of Health.
He has become so powerful that at one point, when a new Cabinet Secretary in the name of Mutahi Kagwe took over and tried to ‘clean’ up the rotten corridors of the ministry, junior officer had the guts to tell him off.
Kagwe’s attempt to transfer some officers from Afya house hit an iceberg. He would be seen angrily calling out unnamed people at Afya house for being very corrupt.
What Kenyans didn’t know is that the powerful man behind the cartel is none other than Richard Ngatia.
Richard Ngatia is not alone, but he is the one in charge, his influence extends to the highest office in the land. This is why he has been able to cut deals, big deals for his firm, Megascope Healthcare Limited.
At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya, Ngatia, using the intelligence available to the head of state, was able to import Personal Protective Equipment’s and test kits which as a man from the bottom, sold cash first.
The critical care beds that were lacking in the country was being hawked by Ngatia through KEMSA. No wonder he was mentioned in the scandal where donation from the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma were diverted to Tanzania.
KEMSA lost Sh63 billion in the shady deals.
Enter Nairobi Metropolitan Services
It is the same Ngatia whose firm ‘wins’ the tender to construct and supply medicine to 24 hospitals worth Sh2 billion.
The health facilities – both Level 2 and 3 hospitals – have been completed include hospitals in Uthiru, Kiamaiko, Ushirika and Soweto-Kayole and has served thousands of Kenyans.
Most of these hospitals will be constricted in informal settlements and Ngatia has aready secured the bag.
The building of the new facilities, they say, is in line with the Universal Health Care (UHC) goals, which Kenya hopes to attain by 2022. UHC seeks to ensure that citizens have easy access to affordable, yet quality healthcare.
UHC is an integral part of the Big Four Agenda.
In these schemes, private interests are mostly catered for.
Nothing good for the mwananchi.
Sources intimate this was a direct tender. How lucky?
The NMS, praised as a good thing after replacing duly elected Governor Mike Sonko, was recently in the news for corruption where some senior staff were sacked in an attempt to hoodwink the public.
It is reported that Uhuru Kenyatta ordered immediate interdiction of the cartels led by NMS Deputy Director Kang’ethe Thuku; among them NMS Head Of Human Resources Dominic Gicheru and Director Of Health Dr. Josephine Kibaru Mbae for diverting funds meant to mitigate the spread of the covid-19 virus.
Before joining NMS, Kang’ethe’s past was full of corrupt dealings, where it is said he used his powerful dockets as Principal Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination and also as Nairobi Regional Commandant with the Kenya Police to rob people off their prime plots.
NMS is now tattered and dirty, no different from the Mike Sonko administration.
It was revealed that NMS received a total of Sh294 million from the national government towards response to Covid-19 control which was part of Sh7.7 billion advanced to the counties in conditional grants as part of urgent Covid-19 interventions.
Wrangles engineered by Richard Ngatia
The man controls policy decisions in the country. He controls business decisions in the whole of Keya through KNCCI.
KNCCI often received funding from donors who want to have a say in the business environment in Kenya and that is where the fight is.
Were it not for such, Kenyans wouldn’t be aware of a Sh400 million donation by MasterCard that has caused division in the organization.
Ngatia and the Nairobi branch chairman Mr. Geoffrey Kimani are accused of illegalities.
Mr. Kimani with the blessings of Chamber President Ngatia moved in with illegally appointed directors to push more people who were not aligned with his looting agenda out.
In total disregard of the KNCCI Constitution Kimani appointed 7 new directors with the blessing of Richard Ngatia.
“KNCCI constitution states that Co-option of Directors can only be done by the Board at County Level. 7 new directors were Co-opted without the proper procedure being followed or vetting as per Constitution of KNCCI. In fact, three of the newly co-opted Directors are not even fully paid up Members of the NAIROBI KNCCI”, said a source who spoke exclusively to Kenyanbulletin.com.
It is through such schemes that Richard Ngatia makes a mockery of the key business body.
By sponsoring divisions, Ngatia sails through with his plans to plunder, loot and influence, where the only beneficiary at the end is Richard Ngatia.
READ MORE: Sh400 million donation by Mastercard threatens to tear up Richard Ngatia led KNCCI
The verdict is, Richard Ngatia is not lucky, he has become the best placed cartel who has fucked up the system for profit.
In the end, the vaccine scandal is in the offing and kenyanbulletin.com bets that Megasope and Richard Ngatia’s name will feature.
We continue the revelations.
